Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is probing a shooting involving Toronto police that left a 30-year-old man dead and two people wounded at the city's Caribbean Carnival parade.
Toronto police said they were called shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday about a disturbance involving three men along the parade route on Lake Shore Boulevard West.
In a statement released on Sunday, SIU investigators said gunfire broke out after officers "interacted with the men."
Two men and a woman were then hit by gunfire. Witnesses reported seeing police shoot an armed man. All three victims were taken to hospital.
One man was pronounced dead in hospital and a 21-year-old woman from Pickering underwent surgery for her injuries, the SIU said.
The woman is currently in critical but stable condition at St. Michael's Hospital.
The second man, an 18-year-old from Scarborough, suffered minor injuries when he was grazed by a bullet.
Eighteen-year-old Amrit Boodram said he was celebrating the Caribbean carnival with his family, his friends, and his girlfriend when shots rang out. When his head began to gush with blood, he realized he'd been hit.
The bullet came within millimeters of his left eye and Boodram received 5 stitches that caused his eye to swell shut. He is treating his wound with eye drops and painkillers.
Boodram expects his vision to be okay and said he is lucky to be alive.
"I'm so happy right now, because I still have so much to do, my dad was trying to push me to do so much better, go through school, get a nice job, and start a family," he said.
Boodram said he was with his cousin when he saw a gunman who was wearing a blue shirt fire two or three shots.
"Everyone was still running, I saw the guy, the police officers and after that it just kind of blurred out," he said.
Boodram's cousin, who wished not to be named, said she also witnessed the confrontation between police officers and the gunman.
"Someone said drop your weapon and he didn't drop it, I saw the guy running, and we saw the police officer shoot him," he said.
Kosho Sato was leaving Ontario Place's amusement area with his family when the shooting started.
"We heard the gunshots, like six times. Pow pow pow pow," he said.
Sato got his family out of the area, and then shot a video of police frantically trying to save the man who had been shot.
"People screamed and ran away from the shooting place," he said.
In the video, police are seen trying to keep onlookers away from the scene while an officer performs CPR on a male victim wearing light blue denim. The male appears to be motionless.
According to Sato, he filmed the scene approximately 10 minutes after the shooting.
In the video, an officer can be seen asking the man recording the footage if he had seen what had happened.
"Were you taking pictures of anybody running away?" the officer asked.
"Running? No, no. I just got here," the man said.
At about the one-minute mark, a woman is seen crying at the edge of the police perimeter.
"That's my brother," she tells an approaching officer.
The SIU is an arm's-length agency which probes police actions resulting in death or serious injury. Nine investigators have been assigned to the case.
The festival's CEO Denise Herrera Jackson and CAO Christopher Alexander said in a statement on the carnival's official website that they are both shocked and saddened by the loss of life.
"We are saying prayers for the injured and the dead," Jackson said. "Our festival is about love and community, and to have this happen so close to our event is devastating. We work so hard to make our event safe and family friendly."
Sato said the celebration "ended up very good but just one stupid (person) ruined everything."
Toronto's Caribbean Carnival, previously known as Caribana, is touted as the largest celebration of Caribbean culture in North America. It is believed to bring more than $250 million into the city's economy and attracts tourists from around the world.
Despite having started three hours late, the parade had otherwise been deemed a success.
Saturday's 4.5-kilometre parade stretched from the CNE grounds to Lake Shore Boulevard along the city's waterfront and drew over 17,000 performers and musicians.
The Carnival's CEO said the parade had ended at approximately 6:30 p.m. and that by the time the shooting took place, most of the festival's staff had already left the grounds.
This is not the first time the event has been marred by violence.
In 2005, a 21-year-old man died during a Caribana-related event after gunshots were fired into a crowded Yonge-Dundas Square in the city's downtown core.
With files from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson.
