Six dead after gun attack in Canada – police see “terrible scene”
Created: 12/19/2022, 6:34 p.m
By: Vincent Fischer
A gun attack shocks all of Canada.
A 73-year-old man killed five people in an apartment building near Toronto.
The police shot the perpetrator.
Vaughan - Five people have been killed in a gun attack in an apartment building north of the city of Toronto, Canada.
The 73-year-old alleged attacker was shot dead in the attack on Sunday, police said on Monday.
One person was injured and taken to the hospital, his life is not in danger.
The motive of the perpetrator is still unknown.
Canada: bloodbath near Toronto – 73-year-old shoots five people
The perpetrator entered the building in the evening and opened fire, the police said.
Police are still investigating whether there was a connection between the perpetrator and the victims.
The man is said to have acted alone, but it is not yet known whether he lived in the building himself.
The victims were found in different apartments.
The crime took place in Vaughan, about 30 kilometers north of Toronto.
"A terrible scene": Six dead after a gun attack near Toronto shakes all of Canada.
© IMAGO/Arlyn Mcadorey
The police officers were called to the scene of the crime early Sunday evening (local time) because of the exchange of fire.
"When officers arrived, they were greeted with a horrific scene, with many dead," said local police chief Jim MacSween.
Initially, the police had given the number of fatalities as six.
Gun attack rocks Canada – Toronto is considered one of the safest cities in the world
The sixth victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries but is expected to survive, police said.
The evacuated residents of the building were able to return to their apartments that night.
Compared to the neighboring United States, gun violence in Canada is rare, but the trend is rising.
The number of crimes in which weapons are used to injure or kill has increased fivefold since 2009, according to official figures.
In August, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government tightened gun laws and banned handguns.
Toronto is even considered one of the safest cities in the world.
In April 2020, a gunman disguised as a police officer killed 22 people in the eastern province of Nova Scotia, the worst crime of its kind in Canada to date.
In September of this year, a man killed 11 people in the province of Saskatchewan with a knife.
Parliament is currently debating a further tightening of the gun law, but is facing opposition from hunters and sport shooters.
(vfi with afp)
