TORONTO — Two people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair festival in Toronto on July 12, 2026. The victims were among an estimated 13,000 attendees at the annual two-day celebration of Latino culture featuring music, dance, food, and art along St. Clair Avenue.

The shooting occurred at approximately 8:12 p.m. in the area of St. Clair and Arlington avenues. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and six others were taken to hospitals—five with gunshot wounds and one with unspecified injuries. The Toronto Police Service described the incident as an active shooter situation and advised the public to stay away from the area.

Police secured the scene roughly an hour after the shooting began. Two guns were recovered at the location, and investigators are focusing on three different crime scenes. Suspects remained at large as of late Saturday, and authorities have not announced any arrests.

Toronto Police Service Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said the investigation would be “complex.” He added, “There seemed to be an exchange of gunfire between individuals targeting each other.”

Witnesses described chaos unfolding during the festival’s Saturday evening hours. Pamela Garcia told CP24 she heard three shots and saw people in the crowd run and scream. Jacy Lin recounted seeing paramedics performing CPR on a man who “had like an oxygen tank and everything, and he didn’t look well.” Lin added, “I was walking from here and there was like a yellow tape, and I saw a bunch of paramedics coming down with a man and they were just doing CPR.”

Why It Matters

The Salsa on St. Clair festival has been held annually for 22 years and was scheduled to continue through Sunday. The violence disrupted a major cultural event in Toronto, a city recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan in the world, with a population of nearly 2.8 million as of 2021. The incident marks a significant public safety concern during a large outdoor gathering in a densely populated urban area.