Two 18-year-old men have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deadly shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair street festival in Toronto last month, which police say was a targeted attack.
The shooting “shook people’s confidence” in safety at public events, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference on Friday.
Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey have both been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
“While today’s arrests represent significant progress, they do not erase what happened that evening,” Chief Demkiw said.
A little after 8 p.m. on July 11, police allege that the accused men opened fire, killing two individuals and wounding five bystanders.
The shooting sent thousands of festivalgoers scrambling at the event, which was 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 days after the shooting, Chief Demkiw urged the federal government to classify any shooting that kills someone in a crowded area as a first-degree murder. He was joined by local leaders also calling for stiffer penalties for gun violence. At the time, Justice Minister Sean Fraser declined comment because of the active police investigation.
Toronto police say a pair of 18-year-olds have been charged with first-degree murder in last month's deadly shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair festival.
The Canadian Press
Toronto Police previously identified the two men killed in the attack as Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20.
During the Friday news conference, Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe declined to say if the victims and accused men knew each other.
She told reporters that investigators determined both of the slain men were shot by the same gun.
Police found two handguns at the scene, but neither had been fired during the incident. As part of the investigation, officers located other firearms while executing search warrants. Those weapons are currently being tested to see if they were used during the Salsa on St. Clair shooting.
Officers said 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 when only one gun was fired, she said the evidence at the scene led to both people and details “will come out in court.”
Det. Sgt. McCabe acknowledged there has been a lot of talk about the motive for the attackers and possible gang involvement.
“Reducing incidents like this, reducing to gang violence oversimplifies a much more complex problem,” she said.
“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 of the men who were killed in the attack had criminal records, documents previously obtained by The Globe and Mail from the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto show.
In 2024, Mr. Quashie pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm that he knew was unauthorized and was handed a two-year sentence and a lifetime firearm ban, after being swept up in a 2021 police raids targeting weapons and drugs, according to court records. He was charged with possessing a weapon while before the courts.
Mr. Vernaza had faced several counts of possessing cars obtained by crime. He pleaded guilty in one offence and received two years probation in January, 2025.
On Wednesday, officers executed a search warrant in a building in Toronto’s west end, seizing three firearms and narcotics. In a related search, police seized a handgun.
Mr. Massaro-Gill is facing 23 charges in total, including possession of a restricted firearm. Mr. Downey is facing a total of 14 charges, including possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized.
Friday’s arrest announcement was made the same day as another Toronto street festival, Taste of the Danforth, prepared to kick off. Chief Demkiw said attendees can expect to see more police officers at the event.