A brazen daylight shooting rocked what was supposed to be a time of celebration in Toronto on Monday.
An estimated two million people turned out to partake in the historic Toronto Raptors championship parade.
Hours into the celebrations, the rally took a turn: sounds of gunfire filled the overflow area near Nathan Phillips Square around 3:45 p.m.
"I turn around and just a wall of people, and the next thing you know I'm on the ground. I'm trying to reach for my mom but I can't because so many people are trampling over me," recounts one woman.
Four people were shot in two different incidents. Their injuries are being considered serious but not life-threatening.
Several more people were trampled as fans ran for cover.
“Basically people were just pushing people over, there were kids that fell down. It was mayhem, it was crazy. I'm a little shook up right now because you didn't expect that happening, especially on a day like today,” one witness says.
Three people have been arrested and two guns have been recovered. Footage shows one person being apprehended by several police just outside the Eaton Centre.
Thanks to quick actions by police, the celebration was able to continue after a brief pause.
Earlier in the day, four other people were injured in a pair of stabbings near the mall as well. Police have not made connections between any of the incidents.
