1 dead after triple shooting at Fairview Mall parking lot in Toronto
One person is dead and two others are injured following a daylight shooting in the parking lot of Fairview Mall on Monday afternoon.
Police were called to the mall, in the area of Sheppard Avenue East and Don Mills Road, shortly after 4 p.m.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Two male victims in their 20s were located at the scene with gunshot wounds. Both were transported to hospital, where one remains in life-threatening condition. The other has serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Police say a third shooting victim, also a man in his 20s, was later dropped off at a local hospital in a personal vehicle. There, he received medical attention but died of his injuries.
“Although the investigation is in its infancy essentially, we do have sufficient information to lead us to believe that that individual who was dropped off at hospital was present here at the scene during the interaction,” said Toronto Police Service Duty Inspector Mike Hayles at the scene.
The shooting took place in one of the mall’s covered parking lots, on the north side of the building, and investigators believe that at least one vehicle was involved. At the scene this afternoon, evidence markers could be seen surrounding a black sedan with its doors open.
“Contained within the scene behind me, there are several vehicles, but there is one vehicle in particular that we are focusing our efforts on,” Hayles said.
“We do believe that that one vehicle was involved, however, undetermined at this point is how many other vehicles may or may not have been involved because we did have people that fled the scene.”
Police tape in the parking lot at Fairview Mall after a deadly shooting on March 20, 2023 (CTV News Toronto/ Beth Macdonell).
Hayles said that no suspect descriptions are available at this time.
“We do believe that suspects did flee the scene and our investigators are on scene working diligently to try to identify those persons or person that may have been responsible for this incident,” Hayles said.
“Because of the nature of this shooting – occurring during the day – we do have information indicating that several people are seen fleeing the scene, both on foot and in vehicle. Here's the difficulty: we don't know which of those people are going to be persons of interest, and which of those people were simply witnesses in the area fleeing the scene of a daytime shooting.”
Hayles says a quick response from mall security and first responders ensured that the incident was contained to the parking structure, and there was no threat to the safety of the patrons in the mall.
“Having said that,” Hayles added. “There were clearly people that were in the area outside when the shooting occurred, and they were certainly put at risk and that is very concerning to us.”
“The public can anticipate seeing a heightened police presence over the course of the next couple of hours and days to help us assist in bringing those individuals that are responsible for this incident to justice.”
Officers remain on scene and are currently canvassing the area for witnesses and information. Hayles says that police are also reviewing mall video footage from the area during the time of the shooting.
Investigators are asking anyone with information or anyone who may have captured dashcam footage in the area to contact police, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Police tape in the parking lot at Fairview Mall after a deadly shooting on March 20, 2023 (CTV News Toronto/ Beth Macdonell).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.