Face of Nation : Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders said a nightclub shooting that left five people injured early Monday morning is “very bothersome,” but given the number of witnesses, the crime is “very solvable.”
During a news conference following a violent Simcoe Day weekend in the city, Saunders said that from Saturday to Monday, police were called to 11 separate firearm incidents, which left 13 people with gunshot wounds. Thirty-three per cent of those incidents happened in the northwest end of the city, he said.
The nightclub shooting left one male in life-threatening condition and four others, including two females, in non-life-threatening condition. Police have yet to release details about the victims, including ages and identities.
“I find this one very bothersome,” Saunders said. Officer Stacey Davis of the Toronto Police Service said multiple calls came in just after 2 a.m. ET from the District 45 lounge on Finch Avenue West near Keele Street. Davis said there was an altercation near the back of the club’s interior when shots were first fired. “The club was completely full,” she said.
Davis said it was “fortunate there’s five victims only.” Two left the club before police arrived and took themselves to hospital. The three others, including the male in life-threatening condition, were located at the scene. Davis said that after the shooting, patrons leaving the nightclub were in emotional distress.
“It’s very concerning … the club was packed with patrons.” Saunders said investigators found shell casings both inside and outside the club. They are reviewing security camera footage from inside the club to get a better sense of what happened and to identify a suspect or suspects. He also asked witnesses to call 31 Division or Crime Stoppers.
“We think this one is very solvable,” he said. “There were a lot of people that were there.” Meanwhile, Saunders told reporters he is putting “additional resources” into areas where he feels a police presence may help deter further gunplay. He did not elaborate on what that would look like.
