Police hunt gunman in Toronto subway shooting
Subway system has reopened
Last Updated: Thursday, January 22, 2009 | 5:59 PM ET
CBC News
Toronto police officers guard an entrance of the Osgoode subway station in where a man was shot on the subway platform in Toronto on Thursday. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press) A brazen,daytime shooting of a man on a busy Toronto subway platform Thursday disrupted downtown commuter traffic for hours and put innocent people at risk, police said.
The 19-year-old victim remains in hospital and police are hunting for a suspect.
"It's alarming. It certainly is alarming," Toronto police Supt. Hugh Ferguson said.
"It puts the public at risk, certainly. Many members of the public use public transit as their only way of getting around the city, and we want to ensure they can do that safely."
Toronto Police released this image of the suspect, caught on a security camera, Thurday evening. (Toronto Police Services) The shooting victim, whose name was not released, was rushed to St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto after being shot in the stomach and leg on the platform of Osgoode subway station in the heart of the city's business district.
The subway station is just a few steps away from Osgoode Hall and many of the province's most important court houses. Hospitals, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and other major tourist attractions dot University Avenue and nearby streets. Toronto's City Hall is within walking distance of the subway station.
Initially police closed a portion of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line, closing all stations between St. George and Union stations. Shuttle buses were called in to ferry stranded passengers along the busy route.
Police have since reopened all stations, including Osgoode.
Dispute erupts into shooting
Police say the victim suffered wounds that are not life-threatening.
Ferguson said the shooting occurred after a dispute among a group of men who exited a train together at Osgoode.
"At 10:47 this morning, a group of young males got off the subway at Osgoode station involved in some sort of dispute," Ferguson said.
"We're still trying to determine the nature of the dispute. During the course of that dispute on the platform, some shots were fired. We have one male who has been hit …We are searching the area for the rest of the group that was arguing on the platform."
Police Supt. Hugh Ferguson updates reporters outside Osgoode subway station. (Mike Crawley/CBC) Police said later they are looking for a man whom they described as "male, black with a light complexion, six feet to six feet two inches, approximately 185 pounds, wearing a black parka with fur trim around the hood, black pants and a black Blue Jays hat with the new logo."
There is no indication how many people were on the platform at the time but police said they are getting help from "numerous witnesses."
A person of interest was taken into custody near Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue within 20 minutes of the shooting. Ferguson said at an afternoon briefing that the individual was still being interviewed by detectives but "is not the person responsible for the shooting."
Police believe at least three shots were fired but could not give many details about the circumstances.
Some witnesses said they thought the sharp sounds came from a construction site, but then saw people running and quickly figured out what had happened.
"The platform was pretty full. People were just getting off and coming onto the subway … and as soon as we heard the shots, most of us were already halfway up the stairs and we turned around. There was a little bit of hysteria, but everybody just kind of moved away from the scene," said a woman named Claudia, who asked for her surname not to be published.
"No, nobody was screaming. It was pretty calm because I don't think anybody really knew what was happening. Until we turned around and saw people running a few feet away from us and I heard someone shouting to call an ambulance, repeatedly."
