U.S. Consulate shooting in Toronto
Local and federal agencies investigating U.S. Consulate shooting in Toronto
Search underway for two male suspects after shots fired at U.S. Consulate
Search underway for two male suspects after shots fired at U.S. Consulate
Police say they will investigate any possible terrorism links as they search for two suspects who fired shots at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto early Tuesday morning.
Speaking to reporters outside the University Avenue building on Tuesday, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said officers were first notified of the shooting at around 5:30 a.m., about an hour after the gunshots rang out.
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He said witness evidence shows that a white Honda CRV was spotted heading west on Dundas Street before turning onto University Avenue and stopping in front of the U.S. Consulate, located at 360 University Avenue.
“There, two individuals emerged from the vehicle, discharged what appears to be a handgun at the front of the building, and then got back into their vehicle and drove southbound,” Barredo said.
Police have now released an image of the suspect vehicle in the hopes that someone will be able to identify it.
A suspect vehicle wanted in connection with a shooting at the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto is shown.
Barredo said police were first notified of the incident after an officer was flagged down in the area. Responding units found evidence of gunfire and damage to the building.
“It is very early in the investigation. It is very active and we are aggressively assigning… resources to determine what happened and to bring the offenders to justice,” he said.
Several police cruisers and forensic officers were spotted collecting evidence at the scene on Tuesday morning and the southbound lanes of University Avenue are currently closed between Dundas and Queen streets for the investigation.
Police are urging anyone with video footage of the area, including dash camera or security video, to contact investigators.
“The Toronto Police Service take incidents like this with extreme seriousness. We appreciate and understand the concern, how unsettling this is, how disturbing it is, and how angry it may make some citizens,” Barredo said.
“I can assure Torontonians and Canadians that the Toronto Police Service considers this the most serious, the utmost serious type of event, and we are actively pursuing its resolution.”
Police confirmed that there were people inside the building at the time of the shooting but said no injuries were reported.
The building is so “heavily fortified,” Barredo said, that he does not believe the walls, bulletproof windows, or doors were penetrated by gunfire. He added that employees inside may not have even noticed that the shots were fired.
The integrated gun and gang task force is now leading the investigation with the assistance of the RCMP and other GTA police services, he noted.
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