Six people, including the suspect, are dead after a shooting at a Vaughan condo.
The suspect died after a fight with police at the condo building at 9235 Jane Street, the SIU said.
Sunday, there was a mass shooting at a condo building in Vaughan. Six people died, including the suspect, who was killed by York Regional Police.
Another victim who was in bad shape was taken to the hospital.
Constable Maniva Armstrong said that at 7:20 p.m., police were called to the Bellaria Residences condo building at 9235 Jane Street near Rutherford Road after a report of a shooter in the area.
Police haven’t said much about the suspects and the shooter, but they said at a news conference Monday morning that it was a “horrific scene” and that they are still working to clear the building. They also said that the public is no longer in danger.
At 2 p.m., Jim MacSween, the chief of police for the York region, will give an update on the investigation at the headquarters in Aurora.
“We are working to find out who the victims are and get in touch with their families. We hope to be able to share that information at 2 p.m.,” police said in a tweet on Monday.
Monday morning, the entrance to Bellaria tower two at 9235 Jane Street was blocked with police tape and surrounded by several York region police cars and a forensics identification unit vehicle.
John Santoro, who lived there and used to be on the condo board, said, “We saw body bags being carried out and put into ambulances.”
Santoro said that he used to be on the condo board.
He told reporters outside the building that the situation was “tragic” and that he was sorry for what had happened. He said, “I heard a ruckus in the hallway,” and when he opened his door, “police were in the hallway” and “rifles were right outside my door in the elevator lobby.” The building was then cleared by a tactical unit between 10:30 and 11 p.m.
The SIU said that they are looking into what happened to the suspect, a 73-year-old man, before he died.
In a press release, the police said that they “interacted” with the alleged suspect, “who had shot several victims.”
The release says, “The officer fired his gun and hit the man.” “They called paramedics, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Police said that the Emergency Response Unit thoroughly searched the condo tower to look for possible victims and make sure that residents were safe.
Residents were seen going back into the high-end condo building near the Vaughan Mills shopping mall, and YRP said that those who had to leave their homes can now go back. Monday morning, police officers put up a fence around the condo and towed away two cars.
Around 1:20 a.m. Monday, YRP tweeted, “We thank you for your patience and understanding while we worked to make sure everyone was safe and keep evidence.”
Late on Sunday night, two women standing behind the police tape told the Star that they hadn’t been in their apartments for eight hours.
Armstrong said, “Right now, the investigation is still very fluid and very busy.”
One man who talked to police officers around midnight said he hadn’t heard from his mother-in-law and father-in-law in four hours and was worried about their safety.
Jim MacSween, chief of police in York, said, “We offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families.” He also said that there was no longer a threat to public safety.
Steven Del Duca, who is the mayor of Vaughan, said he heard about the shooting around 8 p.m. yesterday.
Del Duca said Monday morning in front of the crime scene, “I am completely shocked and heartbroken that five people have died. For this to happen in a small town like Vaugan is devastating.”
“It’s awful, and I can’t even imagine what the families of the victims are going through right now.”
Del Duca says that even though there have been a lot of violent incidents in the city in the past few months, the city is still “very safe.” In the coming months, he plans to address community concerns about safety.
