Toronto shooting: what we know so far

Two people have died and a further 13 have been injured after a gunman launched an attack outside a restaurant in the Canadian city of Toronto on Sunday evening.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the Greektown neighbourhood, a popular area for eating out, following reports that a man armed with a handgun had opened fire at around 10pm local time, The Guardian reports.

Toronto police chief Mark Saunders confirmed that a young woman had been killed, while a nine-year-old girl is in hospital in a critical condition. The suspect also died, apparently from a gunshot wound, although it is not clear whether it was self-inflicted or the result of exchanging gunfire with police, Saunders said.

He added that it was too early to say whether the shooting was an act of terrorism, The Independent reports. 

“We are looking at all possible motives ... and not closing any doors,” Saunders told reporters.

A witness said that he had been nearby when he heard “about 20 shots”, says CNN.

“And then I saw the carnage as I ran down the street here to kind of follow the gunfire,” he said, describing the scene as “pretty crazy”.

“I saw at least four people shot,” he said.

Another witness dining at a nearby restaurant said she was told to hide after hearing what she thought was the sound of firecrackers.

“We started to hear people scream out front,” she told CBC News.

Toronto mayor John Tory said: “We were so used to living in a city where these things didn’t happen. But there are things that happen nowadays and they are just unspeakable.

“Guns are too readily available to too many people.”