2 People Are Shot During Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Parade

A shooting left two people injured during Monday’s NBA Championship parade for the Toronto Raptors, the city’s police announced on Twitter.

Just before 4 p.m., police announced the shooting took place at Nathan Phillips Square, the location of City Hall where crowds gathered to celebrate the Raptors victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals last Thursday, the first title in franchise history.

Two people are in custody and two firearms have been recovered, police announced.

The shooting caused a stampede that apparently injured several people, witnesses said.

“We tried our best to escape,” Andrew Brown-Kerr told The Star of Toronto. “We saw a lady get trampled, a pregnant woman fall. We saw some kids getting trampled and parents trying to protect them.”

The paper reports the ceremony was briefly delayed.

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Nathan Phillips Square | Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP
Nathan Phillips Square | Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press via AP

An hour earlier, police announced four people were injured in two stabbing incidents near Eaton Centre Plaza, which is also on the parade route, according to location station CP 24. Three of the injured victims sustained non-life threatening injuries, but police described the injuries of the fourth victim as “more serious.”

Emergency services are on the scene treating and transporting victims to area hospitals. It is unclear what brought about the violence.