Breaking: Gunshots Reported at Raptors' NBA Title Parade
A day of celebration appeared to have taken a violent turn Monday as the parade for the NBA champion Toronto Raptors was interrupted by gunshots in Nathan Phillips Square.
Global News reported there was one victim, a woman who was shot near Bay Street at approximately 4 p.m. local time. Later reports said two people had been shot.
Toronto police kept the public apprised of the situation via Twitter, reporting the news as they had it.
Their initial report said police and emergency medical services were on the scene as a crowd fled from the site of the shooting.
SHOOTING:
Nathan Phillip’s Square
-Reports of woman shot
-People running from area
-Police/EMS are on scene
-Unknown what the injuries are#GO112676
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019
UPDATE: CP24 indicates police told them they are responding to the #shooting. Reports seem to indicate the #shooter is not active- but please be cautious#WeTheNorthDay ? of a crowd of people running at #Toronto #Raptors Championship parade ? pic.twitter.com/1yCuq4ctfl
— Gabriel Schray PxP (@schrayguy) June 17, 2019
Police soon provided another update saying a second victim was located, two suspects were in custody and two firearms were recovered from the scene.
SHOOTING:
Nathan Phillip’s Square
-Bay St and Albert St
-Police have located 2 victims
-Injuries serious but not life threatening
-2 people in custody
-2 firearms recovered
-Investigating
^dh— Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019
Police described the injuries as “serious but not life-threatening,” as close to a silver lining as can be found from this incident.
After the suspects were arrested, the Raptors’ celebration continued as planned.
The city of Toronto had reported a crowd of 60,000 at Nathan Phillips Square.
Nathan Phillips Square is at capacity, no one else will be allowed on the Square. Watch the parade + rally on big screen at Coronation Park. Everyone onsite: please celebrate safely… @TorontoPolice want you to be able to enjoy the entire event! #WeTheNorthDay #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/D9AfdMnEZr
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) June 17, 2019
The parade was originally intended to wrap up at 2 p.m., but the celebration filled the afternoon thanks in no small part to what seemed like the entire population of Toronto — nearly 3 million people — filling the streets.
Indeed, the city’s own estimate had the citywide crowd at approximately 2 million, fully two-thirds of the overall population.
“This truly is an epic celebration:” Aerial view shows massive crowds gathered in downtown Toronto for @Raptors NBA championship parade https://t.co/RI654t8hMc #WeTheNorth #WeTheChampions #Toronto pic.twitter.com/BFUix49LzL
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) June 17, 2019
It looks like the entire city of Toronto is at the parade ?
(via @Sportsnet) pic.twitter.com/XYcN2zGPZi
— ESPN (@espn) June 17, 2019
The Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 Thursday in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals 4-2 and bring the city its first basketball championship.
The last time Toronto held a championship parade was in 2017 for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, but the city’s last win in one of the “four major North American sports” of MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL came in 1993 when the Blue Jays won the World Series.
Sadly, what should have been one of the happiest days in the history of a proud sporting city was marred by the dark specter of violence.
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