MASS SHOOTING AT TORONTO STREET FESTIVAL LEAVES TWO DEAD

Two people were killed and several others were wounded in a mass shooting at a street festival in midtown Toronto on Saturday night, Toronto Police said.

The shooting happened at the Salsa on St. Clair festival, an annual Latin street festival and one of the largest of its kind in Canada. Police received a call at 8:12 p.m. for a shooting in the area of St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue.

Toronto Police said the suspect or suspects remain at large. No suspect description has been released.

Early casualty counts vary between outlets and should be treated as provisional. CTV News reported two dead and three injured. TorontoToday reported two dead and four wounded. The Globe and Mail reported two dead and five wounded. One report said six victims were found with gunshot wounds.

Because those counts are still moving, Mission Offline is not treating any single injured figure as settled. The confirmed floor is two people dead and several people wounded.

The exact number of injured people, their conditions and whether any injuries are life-threatening may change as police, paramedics and hospitals update the public record.

Toronto Police initially responded to the shooting as an active public-safety emergency. Police later said the scene had been secured, but continued to ask people to avoid the area and follow directions from emergency personnel.

A large police presence remained in the area as officers continued their investigation. Police are asking the public for information.

No motive has been released. Toronto Police have not described the shooting as terrorism and have not described it as gang-related.

Mission Offline is not speculating on the identity, background, motive or affiliations of the suspect or suspects.

The location of the shooting adds to the public-safety significance of the incident. Salsa on St. Clair is a major public festival, drawing large crowds to St. Clair Avenue West for music, food, dancing and Latin cultural programming.

The shooting happened in a busy public setting rather than a private location, which means the number of potential witnesses is high and the risk to bystanders was significant.

Festival shootings also carry a wider public-safety question about crowd security at large open-street events, which are typically difficult to seal off and rely on police presence rather than controlled entry points.

The shooting also comes while Toronto is serving as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a period in which the city has seen elevated crowds, expanded event programming and a heightened security posture. Police have not connected the shooting to the tournament, and there is no indication of any link. The overlap is relevant only because it places the incident in a summer of unusually large public gatherings across the city.

The next confirmed updates to watch are a Toronto Police news conference, a suspect description, an arrest notice, a revised casualty count, victim-identification information, a public appeal for specific witnesses or video, and any official statement about whether there is a continuing public threat.

For now, the accurate account is narrow: two people are confirmed dead and several others were wounded after gunfire near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue during the Salsa on St. Clair festival. Toronto Police say the scene is secured, a large police presence remains in the area, and the suspect or suspects remain at large.

Fact-check date: July 12, 2026

Article type: Breaking / Developing

Sources: Toronto Police Service; CNN; CBC News; CTV News; The Globe and Mail; TorontoToday.

Developing note: Details may change as officials release information. This article should be updated if Toronto Police release a revised casualty count, victim identities, a suspect description, arrest information, motive information, a public-safety update or a witness appeal. Unconfirmed on-scene witness accounts, including the reported number of shots fired, are being tracked but are not carried here until police or a second independent source confirm them.