York Regional Police tactical officers stand in the lobby of a condominium building in Vaughan, Ont.
(AP)
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Five people were shot dead and one person was wounded in a condominium unit in suburban Toronto, Canada, after a gunman opened fire, authorities said late Sunday local time.
The gunman was shot and killed by police officers responding to the scene in Vaughan, Ont., said Chief James MacSween of the York Regional Police.
“Six dead. One of them is the theme. The other five are victims,” MacSheen said.
One person who was injured in the attack was taken to hospital and is expected to survive.
Police said they responded to a call of an active shooter around 7:20 p.m. local time Sunday at a building on Jane Street, north of Rutherford Road.
“Once officers arrived, they were met with … a horrific scene where numerous victims had died,” Chief MacSween said.
It is not known if the shooter, who has not yet been identified, was a resident of the building.
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit is investigating the incident.
Mass shootings are rare in Canada, and Ontario’s capital, Toronto, prides itself on being one of the safest cities in the world.
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Canada proposed bill to ban handgun sales and bought back assault rifles
Amid alarm over rising incidents of mass shootings across the U.S. border, Canada earlier this year proposed a “national freeze” on handgun ownership.
It will also force owners of “military-style assault weapons” to sell their weapons to the government under legislation introduced in May.
“As a government, as a society, we have a responsibility to act to prevent more tragedies,” Justin Trudeau had said.
The proposals came in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people, and a 2020 tragedy in rural Nova Scotia that killed 22 people; this incident was the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
The bill is currently before a parliamentary committee.
Read our May report:
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 11:00 am
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Public Safety Minister offers condolences for deaths in ‘tragic’ shooting
Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, responded to the mass shooting in Vaughan and said his thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 10:30 am
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ICYM: Police describe condo shooting scenes as ‘horrific’
York Regional Police Chief James MacSween offered the department’s heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families after he described the scenes inside the building as “horrific.”
At a news conference around 11 p.m. local time, Chief MacSween said an active shooter opened fire at a condominium building located at 9235 Jane Street in the city of Vaughan.
“Once officers arrived, they were met with … a horrific scene where numerous victims had died,” Chief MacSween said.
The Emergency Response Unit conducted a thorough search of the building to ensure there were no more casualties and to declare it safe, he said.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 10:00 am
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Vaughan mayor and police offer condolences over mass shooting
Steven Del Duca, the mayor of the city of Vaughan, said he wanted to recognize the efforts of the “brave” first responders working at the scenes of the mass shootings on Jane Street.
“On behalf of the City of Vaughan and Council, I offer my condolences to the families of the victims killed in the shootings that occurred in the area of Jane Street and Rutherford Road,” he said.
“I want to recognize the brave first responders who are working to safeguard the situation.”
York Regional Police Chief James MacSween also mourned the deaths.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the victims and their families,” he said, adding that they are in the process of issuing notifications to the victims’ families.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 9:30 am
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Special Investigations Unit to investigate the suspect’s death
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit, the province’s police oversight agency, has been notified to investigate the suspect’s death.
The unit investigates police actions that result in death, serious injury or sexual assault.
The male suspect was shot and killed by police while responding to an active shooting in the city of Vaughan.
“When police arrived, an interaction occurred between officers and a male subject and the subject was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene,” York Regional Police said in a statement released Sunday in the afternoon
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 09:00 AM
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The condominium attack was the second shooting in York Region
A day before the mass shooting at the condo building, police responded to a shooting in Richmond Hill where an altercation broke out between three men.
On Saturday night, a man was injured after three men with guns confronted each other around 7pm. The police were looking for three suspects in the incident.
The two shootings in York Region were unrelated.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 8:30 am
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York Region Police are asking anyone with information to help
In their press release, York Regional Police asked anyone with information or video related to the shooting to contact them.
Any witnesses or anyone who has video surveillance, cell phone video or dash cam footage of the shooting is asked to contact the SIU at 1-800-787-8529.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the York Regional Police Homicide Unit at 1-288-876-5423 ext. 7865, or email the Homicide Unit at homicide@yrp.ca, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 8:00 am
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The shooting suspect and motive remain unknown hours after the condominium attack
Police have not released the name of the suspect in the mass shooting in Vaughan, who was fatally shot as police responded to the incident Sunday.
The motive for the shooting is also unknown.
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 7:30 am
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First images of the condominium where the shooting took place
Footage from the Toronto condo unit shows police responding to the crime scene of the shooting that left six people dead, including a suspected gunman, Sunday evening.
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Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 6:55 am
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Vaughan’s mayor responds to mass shooting
Steven Del Duca, the mayor of the city of Vaughan, said he wanted to recognize the efforts of the “brave” first responders working at the scenes of the mass shootings on Jane Street.
“On behalf of the City of Vaughan and Council, I offer my condolences to the families of the victims killed in the shootings that occurred in the area of Jane Street and Rutherford Road,” he said.
“I want to recognize the brave first responders who are working to safeguard the situation.”
Shweta Sharma December 19, 2022 6:34 am