Three dead, two injured in shooting at downtown Toronto Airbnb

TORONTO — Three men have died after a shooting that police said happened at a party in a downtown Toronto Airbnb rental on Friday night.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said gunshots rang out in the condo complex at about 10:30 p.m.

“Three people have lost their lives, and we’re doing everything that we can to get a fulsome story and account for why this happened,” he told reporters at a 1 a.m. news conference at the scene.

He said a fourth victim was also shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while a fifth person was cut and had minor injuries.

Police were still at the scene on Saturday morning as they conducted their investigation.

“Multiple floors are involved. We found people on other floors,” Saunders said.

He said the search for suspects is ongoing, but he didn’t provide any further information, saying the probe was in its early stages.

He did, however, urge any possible witnesses to get in touch.

The names of the deceased were not immediately released.

Late last year, Airbnb announced a ban on so-called “party houses” after five people were killed at a Halloween Party at a rental in Orinda, Calif., that was listed on their site. The ban prohibited “open-invite” parties in which organizers open up the home to anyone who wants to attend, for instance by advertising on social media.

The company also said it was banning “large parties and events” in Airbnb listings in multi-family residences such as apartments and condos.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Jan. 31, 2020.

The Canadian Press