Toronto police charge two 18-year-olds with murder for shooting deaths during Salsa on St. Clair festival

Toronto police charge two 18-year-olds with murder for shooting deaths during Salsa on St. Clair festival

Police said the two men killed that day were 'the intended victims' and that only one gun was fired rather than an exchange of gunfire as previously reported

Toronto police have arrested two 18-year-old men in connection with the July 11 shootings at the Salsa on St. Clair festival that resulted in two deaths and five people injured by gunfire.

At a Friday morning press conference, police announced that on Wednesday, Aug. 5, Jessiah Massaro-Gill, 18, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. He has also been charged with several firearm-related offences, as well as charges connected to drug trafficking.

That day, police executed a search warrant at a building in the Weston Road and St. Phillips Road area, seizing three firearms, a quantity of narcotics, and Canadian currency.

Later that day, Lewis Downey, 18, was also arrested. A subsequent search warrant executed at the suspect’s residence resulted in seizure of a handgun and Canadian currency. He is similarly charged with first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder. He has also been charged with several firearm-related and drug trafficking.

After the shooting, one adult male was pronounced dead at the scene. Another adult male was pronounced dead in hospital. Five other people were struck by gunfire and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The deceased were identified as Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20. They were “the intended victims,” police said today.

“I know there have been frustrations, and we have not been able to share more information publicly over the past several weeks. That’s understandable,” Chief Myron Demkiw said. “But a successful investigation requires investigators to protect the integrity of the evidence. Sometimes that means saying less publicly, so we don’t compromise the investigation or future court proceedings.”

Detective Sergeant Stacy McCabe told the press that contrary to previous police comments, there was no exchange of gunfire during the shooting.

“As our investigation progressed, and following forensic examination, we have determined that was not the case. Although two firearms were recovered at the scene, forensic testing determined that neither had been fired. The evidence indicates the gunfire came from one gun.”

As to why two men were charged, McCabe said: “Who the actual shooter was will come out in court. The evidence that we have led us to charge both of those people.”

She noted that “investigators seized three firearms during (the) arrests. These firearms are now undergoing forensic examination to determine whether any of them were used in the shooting that night.”

Stating that he was speaking “directly to Torontonians,” Demkiw said the team of investigators has a clearance rate that currently stands at 86 per cent. In 2025, it stood “at 93 per cent, the highest in our modern history.”

That said, he expressed significant frustration with a lack of law reform and sentencing that would result in proper punishment of criminals who engage in gun violence.

“We need stronger deterrence. When someone chooses to fire a gun into a crowded public gathering (showing) complete disregard (for the public) the law must send a clear message that this conduct will be met with the most serious consequences available,” he said. “Public safety depends on that deterrence.”

The problem “has not been addressed adequately, in my view, by some of the partners in our system. We need some significant reform in that regard. We need a justice system that addresses this. And we need to hold the offenders accountable in a meaningful way who are causing disproportionate harm in our communities.

“We are presently looking at people out in our community, serving sentences, having illegal firearms, who then, while serving sentences in the community, go out and commit more crimes, sometimes killing people. That’s a problem in my view. As the Chief, I’m telling you, this is a problem. We have violent offenders in our community, serving sentences, and then go out to commit more crimes, and in some cases have taken life.”

Demkiw noted that homicides are down in Toronto, as are shootings, but he recognized that “events like this have a disproportionate impact on people’s senses of safety, and security. (They) don’t always match with what the data is showing.”

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