Man, 30, dead after triple shooting in downtown Toronto: police

Toronto police say a 30-year-old man is dead after gunfire erupted on a downtown sidewalk as bars were clearing out early Thursday.

A 36-year-old woman and 33-year-old man were also taken to hospital with serious injuries, but survived, police said in an update Thursday morning.

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Officers responded to Queen Street West and Portland Street around 2:36 for a call about a shooting outside of an establishment on the south side of the street, between Portland and a nearby laneway.

"Just after 2:30 in the morning, we received several calls for service to this address in relation to a shooting," Detective Sgt. Trevor Grieve told reporters at the scene. "Officers from 14 Division attended the scene and we located three victims at that point in time."

Two adults were then transported to hospital in serious condition while a third was transported with life-threatening injuries, Toronto Paramedic Services said. Police later confirmed that one of the victims died of their injuries in hospital.

In a news release on Thursday evening, they identified the victim as Ibrahim Abdikarim of Toronto. He is the city’s 20th homicide victim of the year.

Grieve said the shooting sent people scrambling for cover at nearby restaurants and bars.

Police respond to a triple shooting at Queen and Portland streets in downtown Toronto Thursday April 11, 2024. (Courtney Heels /CP24)

He said it's too early to say for certain whether the shooting was targeted, but there were many people on the street at the time and police are appealing to any witnesses to come forward.

"We're obviously seeking the public's assistance to speak with any witnesses who may have been here last night," Grieve said. "There was a large group of people here in some of the local establishments."

Yellow police tape blocked off a wide swath of businesses on Queen Street Thursday morning and officers could be seen searching the ground for evidence in the pouring rain. The area was closed to traffic for several hours, but has since reopened.

There is little information so far about the suspects, but police said they fled in a dark, two-door sedan.

Grieve said that while it is concerning anytime gunfire erupts on city streets, he doesn't believe there's any further danger to the neighbourhood.

Police respond to a triple shooting at Queen and Portland streets in downtown Toronto Thursday April 11, 2024. (Courtney Heels /CP24)

"Obviously in terms of a public safety factor, anytime you have somebody with a firearm and they're openly shooting that firearm in the middle of a crowded roadway in the City of Toronto, there's obviously concerns with regards to firearm safety and violence in the city," he said. "But for the residents specifically here I don't believe there's any safety concerns for them with regards to the neighborhood itself."

It's not yet known whether there was any relationship between the victims.

Police are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators or call Crime Stoppers.