Five men between the ages of 28 and 35 were seriously injured in a shooting in the parking lot of a mosque in Toronto’s Scarborough neighborhood Friday night.
According to Toronto police, worshipers were in the parking lot around 1 a.m. after attending a Ramadan prayer and wondering where to eat.
“As these people were preparing to leave, shots rang out. And unfortunately, five people were hit by bullets which we believe came from a vehicle traveling on Markham Street,” police spokesman David Rydzik said in an update to local media. Saturday.
When help arrived, four injured were taken care of and transported to various hospitals. A fifth victim went to the hospital on her own.
The five men suffered serious injuries, but these were not life threatening. Moreover, three of them had already been discharged from hospital on Saturday.
Hate crime?
The police were still swimming in mystery, at the end of the day, to explain the cause of this crime.
“It’s too early to say this is a hate crime, but our hate crime division is investigating and working with the local community,” Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said.
Everything suggests that the victims were targeted by chance, said the police, stressing that they are not criminalized individuals.
“They were here only for prayers. They gather here because they fast all day. They gather as they normally would during Ramadan,” argued David Rydzik.
Toronto’s Muslim community was shaken by the shooting.
“It is very annoying and worrying. I am preoccupied. Five mature men with family values were shot this morning,” said Nadeem Sheikh, a board member of the Scarborough Muslim Association, during the same press briefing.
