Shooting in Toronto’s east end leaves neighbourhood on edge

Shots rang out just before 11 p.m. Friday on Alder Road in Toronto’s east end.

“I heard seven pops followed by two pops. I immediately went to the window and saw people running. There was confusion,” said local resident Dianne LeBreton.

“We are all in shock today that this happened on one of the quietest streets in the city.”

Home security footage shows a single person with a gun firing into the street.

READ MORE: Teen dies after shooting at east-end Toronto apartment building

One woman, still reeling from the incident, spoke to Global News anonymously. She’s lived in the area for years and now fears for her safety. She says that, at the time, a party was going on down the street.

“It was loud but it didn’t seem to be out of control. I think what happened seemed to be quite targeted; the people knew each other,” she said.

Police arrived in less than 10 minutes. Officers say a silver sedan was seen speeding away from the area.

One person was shot in the hand and taken to hospital.

In the light of day, a shattered front door is one of the few signs of the incident.

Police have not released a description of any suspects involved.

What has been troubling for people in the area was how long it took to get through to 911 in the first place. Several neighbours said they called 911 as soon as they heard the shots. But in each case, they were put on hold.

One person said they waited upward of four minutes, while they say the shooter was still on the front lawn.

“We were on hold for what seemed like an eternity. We were hiding away from the windows out of fear for what we didn’t know was about to unfold and, frankly, it was scary,” said LeBreton.

When Global News reached out to Toronto Police Services today to ask about the incident as well as the response time, no one was available to comment.

READ MORE: Two injured in two separate overnight shootings, say Toronto police

Lengthy wait times have been an issue for Toronto’s emergency medical services in the past. In April, the Toronto police services board approved 50 new operator positions at 911 communication centres to help tackle the problem.

Residents in the Alder Road neighbourhood say they hope this type of violence doesn’t happen here again.

“It’s too close to home now, really, and these teenagers have no thought process with their guns and that crap. It’s just scary now,” said another local resident, Paul Durda.

But if more violent incidents happen, residents say they hope to get through to 911 much more quickly than they did Friday night.