5 people killed in a ‘horrendous’ condo shooting in Canada, police say

CNN
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Five people were killed in a shooting at a condominium in a Toronto suburb Sunday night, police said.

At around 7:20 p.m., officers responded to an active shooting call at the building in Vaughan, a city just north of Toronto, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said in a news conference.

Police found a “horrendous scene where numerous victims were deceased,” MacSween said. A surviving victim who was shot was taken to a hospital in serious condition, police said in a release.

The male gunman was shot by an officer during a confrontation and died, the chief said. Police have not released the shooter’s name.

Police will not publicly name the victims until their families are notified of their deaths, MacSween said.

Constable Laura Nicolle told CNN the incident was the “most terrible call I’ve seen in my entire career.”

Nicolle said in an earlier news conference it appears the victims were from more than one condo unit.

Residents were evacuated from the building while emergency response personnel worked to clear the building and ensure there were no more victims. The residents waited for hours as police cleared the building floor-by-floor, finally returning to their homes after midnight.

The suspect’s motive has not been released and police did not share what led up to the shooting. Authorities believe there is no longer any threat to the community.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the victims and their families,” MacSween said.

The York Regional Police’s homicide unit will continue investigating the shooting, MacSween said. Police will be on the scene as the investigation continues, according to the release.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which investigates when officers discharge their firearm at a person, has been notified of the officer shooting the suspect and will look into the incident, he said.