‘Brazen and reckless act of violence’ leaves 12 injured in Scarborough pub shooting

Toronto police are searching for at least three suspects who opened fire “indiscriminately” on patrons at a Scarborough pub late Friday night, injuring 12 people.

Police say just before 10:40 p.m., three masked men walked into the Piper Arms Pub near Scarborough Town Centre, one was armed with an assault rifle and two others had handguns, and they began shooting.

“They walked into the bar, they produced their guns, and they opened fire indiscriminently on the people sitting inside the bar,” said Supt. Paul MacIntyre, who described the scene inside the pub as “messy.”

“This was a brazen and reckless act of violence that’s shaken our community and the city itself. We’ve seen a lot of shootings over the years, a lot of video …but tonight’s shooting, these guys just looked at the crowd and opened fire. It was horrible.”

At least 12 people were injured, including six who suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds, according to police. The victims ranged in age from their mid-20s to mid-50s.

Police had no immediate suspect descriptions other than that they were last seen fleeing the area in a car.

The pub was celebrating its opening night when the shooting broke out, meaning it was likely full of people when the violence erupted.

“When officers arrived on scene there were some people lying on the floor, there were others sitting in a booth or chairs, sitting where they had been shot,” said McIntyre.

McIntyre said it was too early to say if this was a random shooting or if it was targeted against one of the patrons inside the pub or the owners.

“The motive for this shooting right now remains unclear. We’re chasing down all leads,” he said when asked if this may be tied to the recent spate of violence connected to the towing industry.

Mayor Olivia Chow said she was “deeply troubled” by the shooting.

“It is troubling because of the magnitude of the shootings and the number of people who were hurt, and I don’t want to speculate as to the why and how,” Chow said during an unrelated announcement Saturday morning.

Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson called on citizens to flood police with any and all bits of information to get the perpetrators off the streets.

“We are blessed that this unconscionable act has not resulted in mass fatalities,” he said in a statement released Saturday. “I encourage and plead with all citizens to call police with any scrap of information they might have. We will not be cowered by those among us who threaten our sense of security and our enjoyment of our city.”

The mass shooting is the worst incident Toronto has seen since July 2018, when a lone gunman opened fire on Danforth Avenue, taking the lives of two young women while injuring 13 others.