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Two 18-year-olds charged with murder in deadly Salsa on St. Clair shooting
🇨🇦 Canada /Crime & Justice

Two 18-year-olds charged with murder in deadly Salsa on St. Clair shooting

From Global News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Two 18-year-old men face 37 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, in connection with a deadly shooting at Toronto's Salsa on St. Clair street festival.
  • Police announced the arrests Friday after identifying the victims as Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20. Five other people were injured in the July 11 incident.
  • Investigators seized three firearms, narcotics, and Canadian currency during searches related to the arrests, but a motive remains unclear, with police emphasizing the complexity of gun violence.

Two 18-year-old men have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting at Toronto's Salsa on St. Clair street festival. Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey face a total of 37 charges, including two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

While today’s arrests represent significant progress, they do not erase what happened that evening.

— Myron DemkiwToronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw commented on the arrests made in connection with the shooting.

The July 11 incident, which occurred around 8:10 p.m. during the Latin culture celebration, left two men dead and five others injured. The victims were identified as 25-year-old Shaquan Quashie and 20-year-old Cesar Vernaza. The second day of the festival was canceled following the violence.

What should have been a celebration of community, culture, summer and all that our city has to offer instead resulted in two people losing their lives.

— Myron DemkiwToronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw reflected on the tragic outcome of the Salsa on St. Clair festival.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw stated that while the arrests are progress, they do not erase the tragedy. "What should have been a celebration of community, culture, summer and all that our city has to offer instead resulted in two people losing their lives," Demkiw said.

Reducing incidents like this to simply gang violence oversimplifies a much more complex problem.

— Stacey McCabeDet. Sgt. Stacey McCabe discussed the complexities of the shooting investigation.

Investigators collected hundreds of hours of video footage and interviewed numerous witnesses. The arrests followed searches that yielded three firearms, narcotics, and Canadian currency. Police are analyzing the seized weapons to determine their involvement in the shooting. Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe noted that while Quashie and Vernaza were targeted, the other victims were caught in the crossfire. McCabe declined to elaborate on a motive, citing the complexity of gun violence and the disregard young people have for human life.

This investigation is about gun violence and the willingness of young people to use guns with complete disregard for human life in the safety of anyone around them … and that’s what needs to be recognized and addressed.

— Stacey McCabeDet. Sgt. Stacey McCabe emphasized the broader issue of gun violence among young people.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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