A dozen people were injured when three masked gunmen – one armed with an assault rifle – opened fire “indiscriminately” inside a Scarborough pub Friday night.
Toronto Police Supt. Paul MacIntyre, of Organized Crime Enforcement, told reporters at the scene that it was “extremely lucky” nobody was killed in the mass shooting inside Piper Arms pub at 520 Progress Ave.
“I’m happy to report by the grace of God that there’s been no fatalities,” he said early Saturday.
The pub – located across the street from the Scarborough Town Centre in what was formerly a Baton Rouge Grillhouse and Bar location – was celebrating its grand opening when it was shot up by two men armed with handguns and a third armed with an assault rifle around 10:40 p.m.
“They walked into the bar. They produced their guns, and they opened fire indiscriminately on the people sitting inside the bar,” MacIntyre explained.
“These guys just looked at the crowd and opened fire,” he added.
After viewing video of the shooting, along with other officers, MacIntyre described the “messy scene” as horrifying.
“It looks like we had a mass-casualty shooting inside a pub,” he said. “When you walk in, it’s kind of eerie. The drinks are still on the table. The food is still on the table. People’s purses, shoes are still in there.”
MacIntyre said patrons could be seen in the video diving for cover and dropping to the floor as the gunshots rang out.
Some people also ran to the basement to hide from the shooters, he said.
“There’s a lot of damage to the walls. There’s glass walls that are shattered. There’s blood all over the floor,” MacIntyre said.
The victims, ranging in age from their 20s to mid-50s, suffered an assortment on injuries that were not considered life-threatening – six people suffered gunshot wounds while the other six were injured by broken glass.
The pub remained cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape Saturday morning and was being guarded by officers as investigators were still gathering evidence iside.
Mayor Olivia Chow took to social media to say she is “deeply troubled” by the mass shooting.
“I have spoken to Chief Demkiw and he has assured me all necessary resources have been deployed,” she said in a message posted on X.
“This is an early and ongoing investigation – police will provide further details,” Chow added. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
The mass shooting comes just four days after Demkiw released the service’s latest crime stats showing shootings were down in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2024.
“On gun violence, I can report that shootings are down by 26% for a total of 17, which is six fewer than last year,” he told the Toronto Police Service Board on Tuesday.
But after a week of shootings involving the towing industry and now the mass shooting, those numbers are suddenly far less impressive.
While there was nothing immediately to suggest the gun violence at Piper Arms is related to the four towing industry-related shootings that injured three men last week, MacIntyre said investigators are “open” to the possibility and will leave “no stone unturned.”
“The motive for this shooting right now remains unclear,” he said. “We’re chasing down all leads.”
“Our investigation will tell us whether or not this pub was targeted for a particular reason,” MacIntyre added. “Maybe somebody was inside that somebody didn’t like. Maybe somebody had a beef with the business. We don’t know.”
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It’s believed the gunmen, one of whom was wearing a black balaclava, fled in a silver car. But no further suspect descriptions were immediately available.
“I can tell you this was a brazen and reckless act of violence that’s really shaken our community and the city itself,” MacIntyre said.