Two 18-year-olds charged in fatal Salsa on St. Clair shooting

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, police said Friday, vowing to heighten security around other major street festivals. 

Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey each also face five counts of attempted murder, as well as several gun and drug-related charges. 

“While today’s arrest represents significant progress, they do not erase what happened that evening,” police Chief Myron Demkiw said Friday. 

Two people were killed, five others were injured and thousands were sent running for cover last month in what police have called a targeted attack at the popular midtown festival, casting a shadow over Toronto’s busy street festival season.

Demkiw sought to reassure festivalgoers ahead of another busy weekend, headlined by the popular Greektown festival Taste of the Danforth. 

“You’ll see more police officers to make sure that we’re adding a sense of safety and security for people to feel more comfortable.” 

At a Friday news conference, police said they no longer believe there was an exchange of gunfire at the festival shooting, as they initially reported. While two guns were recovered at the scene, neither were fired. 

“The evidence indicates the gunfire came from one gun,” said Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe. 

Three handguns were allegedly seized by officers who searched the suspects’ homes, McCabe said. Investigators are now working to determine whether any of those were the gun used that night. 

The July 11 shooting killed 25-year-old Shaquan Quashie and 20-year-old Cesar Vernaza, who police allege were targeted.

The other five people injured “had the misfortune of being caught in that” shooting, said McCabe, who declined to share any details about them, citing their privacy. She described some of their injuries as “life altering,” and said all were subjected to an “unimaginable traumatic experience.” 

Although there’s been speculation about the motive, McCabe said reducing what happened to gang violence “oversimplifies a much more complex problem.” 

“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,” she said. 

Police say 13,000 people were at the popular annual event when gunfire erupted. 

Business owners and residents in the area of St. Clair Avenue West said the brazen act of violence made them worried about the future of the festival, a long-running annual event that celebrates Latin culture, food and music. A key sponsor later dropped out.

The public shooting also increased scrutiny of the security measures planned for other events in the city’s packed summer calendar.  

Toronto police sent additional officers to the Caribbean Carnival last weekend. 

Meanwhile, organizers of Taste of the Danforth, which was set to make its return starting Friday night after a two-year hiatus, have said they worked with police and private security for months on a “comprehensive” safety plan.

While the July 11 attack shook festivalgoers, the latest numbers suggest shootings are down in Toronto so far this year. 

The 45 shootings so far this year are 13 less than by the same time in 2025, according to the latest police data, current as of Aug. 4. Last year, 20 people were killed and 101 people were injured by gun violence, the second fewest in the last two decades.

The two men charged in the Salsa on St. Clair shooting face a combined 37 charges, police said. 

Massaro-Gill was arrested Wednesday at a building in the Weston Road and St. Phillips Road Area. Police allege that search turned up two handguns, illegal drugs and cash. 

Shortly after, police say they arrested Downey in the area of Church Street and Wellesley Street. A search of his home allegedly turned up another handgun, as well as more drugs and cash. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2026.

By Jordan Omstead and Monique Kasonga | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.