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The U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto was the target of gunfire for the second time this year Monday morning, and police say they are looking for a white sedan that fled the scene in a high-speed pursuit.
An officer, who was stationed near the building as part of a regular patrol put in place after another shooting there on March 10, heard gunfire in the area around 4:45 a.m., Toronto police told reporters at the scene.
The officer immediately reported seeing a white Honda Accord with no licence plates speed away from the scene, Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said.
Police briefly pursued the vehicle on the Don Valley Parkway near Don Mills Road before calling off the chase due to safety concerns over its speed, which exceeded 140 km/h, he said. Aerial support wasn’t available at the time, he added.
Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said the service relies on helicopters from Ontario Provincial Police or the Durham Regional Police Service. Toronto police are expected to get their own chopper later this year, she said.
Police said they could not determine how many people were in the vehicle and it was too early to determine motive.
“We will approach this situation with great seriousness,” Barredo said, calling the act “brazen” and “despicable.”
Road closures in place for investigation
Police said a single shell casing was found near the U.S. Consulate, and the building’s facade was damaged.
A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy said in an email that there were no injuries, and thanked Toronto police for their rapid response.
The area around the consulate was taped off, with part of University Avenue closed, Monday. More than a dozen police vehicles were also on site.
In an email Monday evening, Toronto police spokesperson Ashley Visser told CBC Toronto the road is now open and the scene has been taken down.
The RCMP is working with Toronto police and international partners on the investigation, RCMP Supt. Jonathan Ko said.
“Threats and violence towards any persons in Canada are taken very seriously,” he said.
Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters she had spoken with Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree Monday morning about how to prevent shootings and the flow of illegal guns into the city, calling the incident a “brazen attack.”
“This is when there is a police cruiser with the lights flashing right in front of it,” she said. “I want to say to the person or persons responsible: We will get you.”
2nd shooting at consulate since March
The incident comes just over four months after the building was shot at on March 10. No one was injured in that shooting, but RCMP called it a “national security incident” at the time.
Three people were later arrested in connection with that shooting as part of a broad investigation into shootings around the city in which police believe young people were hired to commit gun crimes.
That investigation also alleged young people had been hired to target several Jewish institutions.
The U.S. Consulate in Toronto has been targeted by gunfire for the second time this year. Former CSIS strategic terrorism analyst Phil Gurski discusses the possible motive, the police response and what investigators will be looking for as the search for the suspect continues.
Police are also investigating damages to two Jewish-owned bakeries over the weekend, which involved gunfire. Premier Doug Ford condemned those incidents, along with the shooting outside the U.S. Consulate, in a post on X Monday.
“I’m totally disgusted by the shootings and vandalism that took place in Toronto over the last few days,” he said. “I expect all those responsible to be found, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anyone with more information about Monday’s shooting is being asked to contact police.
