Suspects sought after 3 children wounded in shooting at toddler's birthday party in Toronto
Police are trying to locate multiple suspects who investigators say indiscriminately fired gunshots into a crowd at a toddler’s birthday party in Rexdale on Saturday night, wounding four people, including three children.
Gunshots rang out in the area of Tandridge Crescent and Byng Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. and emergency crews arrived on scene to find four victims, including a one-year-old child, a five-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, and a 23-year-old man, suffering from gunshot wounds.
They were transported to hospital via emergency run with injuries ranging from minor to critical.
The family of the five-year-old girl, who initially suffered life-threatening injuries, told CP24 that she is now in stable condition.
The one-year-old, who was grazed by a bullet, has been released from hospital.
Speaking at the scene on Sunday afternoon, Supt. Ron Taverner said that the 11-year-old boy was shot in the buttock and is expected to make a full recovery.
Taverner was unable to provide an update on the condition of the 23-year-old wounded in the shooting, but investigators told CP24 on Saturday that he sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.
“Obviously a horrific, horrific set of events.... I've been a police officer for a number of years and this is one of the most disturbing scenes when you see young people like this indiscriminately shot. It's disgusting,” he said.
“Our hearts go out to the community. It's a terrible situation for anyone that lives in this area.”
Taverner would not say how many suspects police are looking for but investigators believe the perpetrators fled southbound on foot and took off in a waiting vehicle.
“There was a vehicle that was seen leaving the area. At this particular time we are not giving out that information. There are various reasons for that. Even the same with the suspect descriptions. We will be releasing that information soon but right now we're not,” he said.
Police are still trying to determine a motive for the brazen, daylight shooting.
“We don't believe at all that children were the targets of this. As far as motive, I can't say right now... there are a number of theories out there. A number of people have their own ideas of why this happened,” Taverner told reporters.
“We are just trying to work through all that and I can tell you that we have the resources to solve this crime and we will solve it.”
The Toronto Police Service’s forensic identification unit is currently on scene and is working to collect and preserve evidence.
Taverner said officers are also reviewing video surveillance footage from the area.
“There are video cameras that are placed all around and they were working. That's all I'll say about that,” he added.
Investigators were seen in the area searching dumpsters for evidence but Taverner said he does not believe any weapons have been recovered at this point.
A police source told CP24 Sunday said that a warrant has been obtained to search a residence on Tandridge Crescent.
Police are urging members of the public to come forward with any information they have about the incident.
“It is so important for people to come forward, people to give us information of what they saw or even what they believe happened or who they believe is involved. We need help,” Taverner said Sunday.
“We can have all kinds of investigators here, but if we don't get support from the community it makes our job twice as hard.”
In a statement released Sunday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the perpetrators of the shooting “must be found and brought to justice.”
“The shooting that took place in Rexdale last night is inconceivable and beyond comprehension,” Ford said in a tweet.
Ford encouraged those who may have witnessed the incident to contact police.
The premier’s comments echo statements made by Toronto Mayor John Tory earlier in the day.
“My heart goes out to the victims and the families of the victims and to all the people that were involved, because this is a traumatizing experience for that neighbourhood, which is a wonderful neighbourhood full of wonderful people,” Tory said during an interview with CP24 on Sunday morning.
“This is irresponsible, outrageous behaviour. There is no other way to put it.”
Tory also encouraged anyone with information about the incident to reach out to investigators.
“I really, really hope in this case, so we can bring these people to justice and apply the full weight of the law, that people who were around there or there who saw something... they will confide in the police or in Crime Stoppers so we can track these people down and deal with them,” Tory said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.