'Despicable Act'

'Despicable Act' in Toronto: Gunman Shoots 14, Killing 2

The unidentified gunman is also dead

By Kate Seamons,

Police work the scene of a shooting in Toronto on Sunday, July 22, 2018.   (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Terror struck the Greektown neighborhood of Toronto on Sunday, when a gunman walking the street shot 14 people, killing two. The Globe & Mail reports the unidentified 29-year-old gunman struck along Danforth Avenue, where he fired at both pedestrians and restaurant patrons with a handgun around 10pm.


He died in an alley; it's unclear if the fatal bullet came from his own gun or from police. A survivor recalls seeing a woman being "executed" by the gunman, telling the paper that he watched as she tried to flee and fell, and the man, dressed entirely in black, "turned around and shot her point blank, two or three times." Details about the second victim haven't been released, though the BBC previously reported a girl who is 8 or 9 was critically injured.

A graphic video shows the gunman appear to turn toward a storefront and fire shots. Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders says he's "looking at every single possible motive for this," reports the CBC. Mayor John Tory called it "a despicable act," continuing, "on behalf of all Toronto residents, I am outraged that someone has unleashed such a terrible attack on our city and people innocently enjoying a Sunday evening." The Globe & Mail has more from survivors, who describe scrambling to take cover as people shouted "get down."