Toronto Police say the shooting began around 8 p.m. with an altercation “between two groups” inside the mall, located near Dufferin St. and Hwy. 401 and spilled outside into the west parking lot.
“The initial confrontation began inside the mall but there were no shots fired inside the mall,” Homicide Det. Rob North said early Sunday at Yorkdale.
He said it was too early in the investigation to offer many details but he did confirm the were no innocent bystanders.
It’s believed the man who was killed was shot as many as 10 times.
His body lay on the ground outside the Sears department store after the shooting.
“I saw the paramedics working on him,” Michael Troya, 16, said, at the mall. “They were working on him for about 10 minutes.”
Troya said patrons weren’t sure what was happening at first and most didn’t see the man because everyone was focused on another victim about 20 metres away who he and others initially believed was a woman.
“I was pretty scared,” he said, adding such violence is not something he expected to see when he headed to the usually safe mall to hang out with his girlfriend.
Police later confirmed that victim was a man and that he was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital in critical condition.
Shortly before midnight, Const. Wendy Drummond tweeted that he had been stabilized.
Meanwhile, the first victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
“A lot of people were upset that Yorkdale didn’t tell us what was going on right away,” Troya said.
The mall did release a statement about an hour after the city’s latest murder — the 15th killing of the year.
“Yorkdale Shopping Centre is currently working with the Toronto Police Service as part of the an active investigation,” the statement read. “All vehicles entering or exiting the property will be stopped and spoken to by Toronto police officers.”
“Further information will follow,” the statement continued. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
Police cruisers blocked every exit immediately after the shooting and officers were checking every vehicle that pulled in or was heading out.
Just last summer there was a horrific shooting at Toronto’s busiest mall, the Eaton Centre.
A gunman opened fire in the food court on June 2 killing two men and wounding numerous innocent bystanders.
“Some people just don’t seem to care, they have no morals,” Troya said of those who would open fire at a mall.
Investigators are looking over surveillance video from mall security cameras but were unable to offer any description of the gunmen.
However, as many as six people are believed to have fled the scene after the shooting, North said.
Anyone with information in the Yorkdale mall shooting is urged to call the Homicide Unit at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
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