Road closures are in place in Toronto’s downtown core after police say someone discharged a firearm at the U.S. Consulate
Investigators say shots were fired at the building, located near University Avenue and Queen Street West, at around 5:30 a.
No injuries have been reported and police have not provided any information on possible suspects.
Southbound University Avenue is closed between Queen and Dundas streets for the police investigation.
‘This cannot stand’
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said there is currently a heavy police presence at both the U.S. and Israeli consulates in Toronto this morning.
“This morning the U.S. consulate was shot at. This comes after shootings at synagogues over the past two weekends. This cannot stand,” she told reporters at a news conference ahead of a meeting for city council’s executive committee.
“Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith and culture and to live their day to day lives without fear, intimation or violence.”
She said Toronto police are working with the RCMP as part of the investigation.
“As we have seen too many times, anti-Semitic incidents spike when international tensions rise. It is never acceptable to target the Jewish community,” Chow continued.
“Police are investigating and have my full support finding the people responsible and bringing them to justice.”
It is unclear how many people may have been inside the building at the time of the shooting.
CTV safety analyst and former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis said while the U.S. Consulate would have some security working overnight, the building does not have nearly the same level of protection as the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
“It’s certainly a protected building but not highly. You don’t see armed people standing outside that would have reinforced glass and a whole pile of security mechanisms,” he told CP24’s Courtney Heels on Tuesday morning.
“It is not like the embassy in Ottawa, which really has Mounties positioned outside it all the time. You don’t see that at the consulate.”
He added that there are likely many cameras looking out to the street and some staff that would be monitoring those cameras 24 hours a day.
“During the day when people actually can come and go, there would be a higher level of security, but not at 5:30 in the morning,” Lewis noted.
‘They are making an obvious statement’
As for the investigation, he said officers will carry out the standard investigative work, including processing evidence, searching for video surveillance footage, and canvassing for witnesses.
“For the investigators, it is just another day,” he said. “All of that is standard fare, whether this investigation involved the consulate or not. It certainly raises international attention, undoubtedly related to what is going on in the Middle East right now and there is some anti- U.S. sentiments of some sort.”
Lewis added that the perpetrator likely knew they were not putting any lives in danger by deciding to shoot at the building so early in the morning.
“They knew they weren’t going to jeopardize lives,” he said.
“But they are making an obvious statement here and investigators will be trying to find out who made that statement.”
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