A shooting on the outskirts of the Canadian city of Toronto on sunday night left five dead and one wounded, reported the police.
The suspect, who allegedly acted alone, died following an exchange of fire with authorities, said local police chief Jim MacSween, who noted that the shooting occurred in an apartment building.
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Arriving at the scene, police found “a horrifying scene, with numerous victims dead,” MacSween said, according to Canadian media.
Authorities are investigating the motives and whether there was any connection between the victims and the suspect, who was not identified.
The victims were found in different apartments of the building, located in Vaughan, regarding 30 kilometers north of Toronto.
Residents were immediately evacuated and dozens of ambulances and police rushed to the scene overnight, Canadian media said.
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Despite experiencing substantially fewer mass shootings than its American neighbor, Canada experienced an increase in gun violencewhich recently legislated to ban firearms.
In April 2020, a gunman disguised as a police officer killed 22 people in the eastern province of Nova Scotia, the worst mass shooting in Canada.
In September this year, a man killed 11 people and stabbed 18 others, mostly in an isolated Indian community in Saskatchewan.
Los violent crimes related to firearms represent less than 3% of the total of such crimes, but since 2009, the per capita rate of weapons fired with the intent to kill or injure has increased fivefold.
Canada banned 1,500 types of firearms military or assault grade in May 2020, days following the shooting in Nova Scotia.
