- On July 11, a shooting occurred at the Salsa on St. Clair festival, killing two individuals and wounding five bystanders, sending thousands of festivalgoers scrambling at an event estimated to have drawn roughly 13,000 people.
- Police initially described the incident as an active shooter investigation but later clarified it was a targeted attack.
- Two 18-year-old men, Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey, have been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder in connection with the deadly shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair street festival in Toronto.
- Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the shooting shook people s confidence in safety at public events and that while arrests represent significant progress, they do not erase what happened.
- The two men killed were identified as Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20. Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe declined to say if the victims and accused men knew each other, but investigators determined both slain men were shot by the same gun.
- Police found two handguns at the scene, but neither had been fired; only one gun was fired during the incident and there wasn t an exchange of weapons. When asked why both men are charged with first-degree murder, Det. Sgt. McCabe said evidence led to both people and details will come out in court.
- Det. Sgt. McCabe acknowledged talk about motive and possible gang involvement, but said reducing incidents to gang violence oversimplifies a more complex problem: This investigation is about gun violence and the willingness of young people to use guns with complete disregard for human life and the safety of anyone around them.
- Both slain men had criminal records: Mr. Quashie pleaded guilty in 2024 to possessing a prohibited firearm and received a two-year sentence and lifetime firearm ban; Mr. Vernaza pleaded guilty to possessing cars obtained by crime and received two years probation in January 2025.
Two 18-year-olds, Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey, have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a targeted shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair festival in Toronto on July 11. The incident resulted in the deaths of Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20, and left five others injured.12458910
Police allege that the accused opened fire shortly after 8 p.m., causing chaos among the estimated 13,000 festivalgoers. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw stated that the shooting has “shook people’s confidence” in safety at public events. “While today’s arrests represent significant progress, they do not erase what happened that evening,” he added.67
Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe confirmed that both victims were shot by the same gun, although police found two handguns at the scene, neither of which had been fired. “This investigation is about gun violence and the willingness of young people to use guns with complete disregard for human life,” she said, emphasizing the complexity of the issue beyond gang violence.111213
Both victims had criminal records, with Quashie previously convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm and Vernaza facing charges related to stolen vehicles. The police have not disclosed whether the victims and the accused knew each other, but the investigation continues as the community grapples with the implications of this tragic event.
“The shooting killed Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20, and wounded five bystanders. Police found two handguns at the scene, but only one was fired, and both victims were shot by the same gun.”
The Globe and Mail
