Overview
- Gunfire broke out at the Salsa on St. Clair street festival on Saturday, killing two men and injuring five others as a crowd of roughly 13,000 scrambled for safety.
- Police identified the dead as 25-year-old Shaquan Quashie and 20-year-old Cesar Vernaza and said the shooting was targeted because the two victims knew each other.
- As of Monday afternoon police had no arrests and were processing large amounts of video and witness evidence while investigating possible links to other recent shootings.
- Festival organizers TLN Media Group threatened to withdraw from the event unless the city and police make concrete security commitments, and some local businesses and residents said they now fear attending open street festivals.
- Chief Myron Demkiw and Mayor Olivia Chow called for tougher criminal penalties and steps to curb illegal guns, a push that would require federal legal change and could lead to stricter security planning for large public events.