Councillor fears retaliatory attack after mass pub shooting in Scarborough

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Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson says he’s fearful that there will be retaliation after Friday night’s mass shooting at a Scarborough pub which left 12 people with injuries.

Toronto Police said seven people were hit by gunfire, while the others were injured by flying glass when three masked gunmen opened fire at the Piper Arms pub, near the Scarborough Town Centre, at 10:40 p.m. on Friday.

On Monday, some bullet holes were still visible in a TV screen over the servers’ side area as were three large holes that went straight through a heavy metal side doorway that leads out to the the bar’s outdoor deck and patio area.

Thompson, who walked around the building with The Toronto Sun, marvelled at the fact nobody was killed.

“The level of violence that was inflicted here one Friday evening is one that is foreign to everyone,” said Thompson.

He speculated the violence may be associated with recent tow truck shootings in the city. Police have said that one of the suspects was armed with an assault rifle while the other two had handguns.

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“There has been a lot of chatter connecting the dots with different industries — other than the hospitality industry,” said Thompson. “And that conversation continues.”

“I had a meeting for about and hour and half (recently) with people who are quite aware of the situation. And it is quite frightening in terms of the narrative,” said Thompson. “That is circulating, as they defined it, as being on the streets.”

Police have yet to identify a motive for the shooting, saying officers are looking into all leads. They say the suspects “indiscriminately” opened fire as diners celebrated the pub’s opening night, then fled in a silver car.

None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Outside the pub on Monday was Shan, a former cook, who worked the establishment for 15 years when it was home to a Baton Rouge restaurant.

“It is very bad. This is crazy. Why do you do this to people in the public?” said Shan. “Guns are no good. And these are bad people.”

A Scarborough resident since 1992, Shan said he has put three children through university since arriving from Sri Lanka and doesn’t understand why the violence is happening.

Some people in the bar industry, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said they knew some of the staff and said one young woman starting her first night on the job was clipped in the forearm by gunfire and is now is going through a very tough time with mobility issues.

A search on the internet and the Piper Arms website shows it has restaurant locations stretching throughout Southern Ontario and the GTA.

— With files from the Canadian Press