Suspects sought after gunfire rings out at Etobicoke high school

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Police said as many as 120 people were inside an Etobicoke high school when a firearm was discharged in a stairwell late Tuesday afternoon.

Toronto Police said Tuesday night that officers were seeking suspects after reports of a person with a gun triggered a lockdown at Silverthorn Collegiate Institute.

Police were called to the Mill-Burnhamthorpe Rds. area — in central Etobicoke — at 3:59 p.m. for the gun report and said there was “evidence of a firearm discharge located.” The suspects had fled.

Police said that at the time of the gunfire, about 60 people were involved with a basketball game and another 60 were preparing for an open house that had been scheduled for Tuesday night.

There were no reported injuries. The lockdown was eventually lifted and the teachers and students inside safely exited the school.

“The lockdown continued while officers swept the school,” Toronto Police Duty Senior Officer Saleem Husain told reporters at the scene. “The sweep was taken over by our Emergency Task Force who proceeded to go room by room, clearing to ensure no suspects remained and that everybody was safe inside the school.”

It was not immediately known how many shots rang out nor was it clear how many suspects were sought, though Husain said the initial report suggested suspects were wearing masks.

Toronto Police’s Gun and Gang task force has taken over the investigation.

“We understand how much of a concern this incident will be and we are throwing multiple resources at it,” Husain said. “We are doing everything that we can to help bring perpetrators to justice.”