Shots were fired early Monday at the U.S. consulate in Toronto but no one was injured, Canadian police said, the second shooting near the diplomatic compound in four months.
An officer guarding the consulate “heard the sound of a gunshot in the vicinity here where he was stationed” at about 4:45 a.m., the city’s deputy police chief Frank Barredo told reporters, adding that the consulate’s facade was struck by a bullet.
Toronto police said a white sedan with no license plates was seen fleeing the scene. Police gave chase but quickly discontinued because of the danger posed by the suspect vehicle’s high speed, Barredo said.
The area was cordoned off and shell casings were found. No one was injured and no suspects have been identified, said police, who confirmed the Toronto Police Service’s counterterrorism unit is involved in the investigation.
The U.S. consulate thanked the police for “their response” to Monday’s shooting.
Police said Monday they were also investigating a pair of other shootings over the weekend which targeted two bakeries that are part of a chain owned by a member of the Jewish community.
“I’m totally disgusted by the shootings and vandalism that took place in Toronto over the last few days, including at two Jewish-owned businesses over the weekend and near the U.S. Consulate this morning,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a post on X.
“In all cases, active police investigations are underway. I expect all those responsible to be found, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
On March 10, two men fired multiple shots at the consulate in what police described as a “national security incident,” prompting beefed-up protection for U.S. and Israeli diplomatic buildings in the Canadian city, as war gripped the Middle East.
Two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested in June as part of the investigation into that shooting. Police said the men were recruited to carry out violent acts but did not provide further details.
