The final day of Toronto’s Salsa on St. Clair festival has officially been cancelled following a deadly shooting that killed two men and seriously injured several others late Saturday night.
In a post to social media, Toronto Coun. Josh Matlow first announced Sunday morning that the festival would not resume as police continued their investigation.
“The police are continuing their investigation at the scene. The Salsa on St. Clair festival has been cancelled and will not be proceeding today,” Matlow said in a statement.
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Festival organizers also confirmed the news on social media, saying that they were “shocked” by the violence and expressed condolences to those affected.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the two persons killed, those who were injured, and everyone affected by this senseless violence,” organizers said in a statement.
“Due to the complex police investigations at the scene, we understand the festival will not resume today, Sunday, July 12.”
The annual festival, which stretches along St. Clair Avenue West, was expected to conclude Sunday after drawing tens of thousands of visitors over the weekend.
Shooting ‘unacceptable,’ says police chief
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw posted a statement on Sunday about the shooting as well as the other incident in the area of Polson Street and Cherry Street.
“The brazen violence we witnessed in the middle of a community festival where thousands were gathered to enjoy a summer evening with family and friends is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” Demkiw said in the statement.
“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and with everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence.”
The chief said all “necessary resources” will be used to investigate the shooting.
“We will be relentless in our pursuit of those responsible,” Demkiw said.
Ongoing investigation
Toronto police say the shooting erupted shortly after 8 p.m as an estimated 13,000 people were attending the festival.
Speaking to reporters, Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said the violence stemmed from an “exchange of gunfire” between individuals who were targeting each other, prompting terrified festivalgoers, including families, children and seniors, to run for safety.
It was then confirmed by police that one man died at the scene while another later died in hospital. Meanwhile, five other people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Police initially warned of an active shooter but later clarified that investigators determined the incident did not meet that definition.
Barredo said investigators have recovered two firearms and are examining three separate crime scenes.
Still, no arrests have been made.
What investigators are doing
Police have previously described the investigation as “complex,” noting that they have three crime scenes and a large amount of video evidence to review.
Speaking to CP24 on Sunday, former Toronto police homicide detective Mark Mendelson provided an insight into what investigators are doing behind the scenes.
“You’ve got to find out the victimology, and you’ve got to find out the history of the two dead people and whether they’re connected, whether they’re part of a different gang. There’s all sorts of moving parts, if you will, that’s going to take a little bit of time to sort out,” Mendelson said, adding that investigators will look to see if they have a social media presence as well.
“Was there a beef going on? Did somebody film a TikTok video or something else or Instagram that ticked off the other side, and this is the retaliation?”
Based on his time in the homicide unit, Mendolson said he is certain that whoever is behind the shooting didn’t care about the innocent festival attendees who could have been injured in the crossfire.
“That’s not the reason they’re there. The reason they’re there is to settle a score. And if they make a lot of noise and if they disrupt people and put families in danger, that is secondary to them,” he said.
“A lot of them look at it as bolstering their street credibility, that they have the guts to go out there and do this in the middle of a really nice festival with kids and families and grandparents all there, so they don’t care.”
Mendelson said investigators will be relying heavily on video from attendees and nearby homes and businesses to track down who fired the shots.
“It is painstaking, and it does take time,” he said. “People have to actually sit and watch and scroll through these things and pick out, you know, you find your victims, and you follow them on the screens, and hopefully those victims take you to the shooters.”
Mayor Olivia Chow, who also attended the late-night news conference on Saturday, condemned the violence.
“I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless, irresponsible act of violence, and right in the middle of a festival attended by families, children, and seniors,” she said.
Police are asking anyone with information or cell phone footage to contact them.
