Mass Shooting in Toronto Suburb Leaves Six Dead

A mass shooting took place in a suburb of Toronto, Canada. Five people were mowed down by the shooter last night at a residential building in Vaughan, Ontario. A sixth person was hospitalized but is expected to survive. Local police said five died at the scene. The suspect, identified as a male, was shot dead after an “interaction” with police. As of the time of writing, police have not identified the victims. No motives have been released.

America gets more media hype for mass shootings, and rightly so. Compared to its southern neighbor, Canada has had much fewer mass shootings. Yet the country is not immune to tragedies like the one on Sunday.

The big picture: In the United States, whenever a mass shooting takes place, the biggest debate often centers on gun control. Canada has much stricter gun laws than the U.S., yet that didn’t save those shot in Vaughan. The motive behind this shooting is unknown, given how little information has been revealed by the police. But if the backgrounds of American mass shooters are anything to go by, the cause of the Vaughan shooting is deep and multilayered.

Learn more: Trumpet executive editor Stephen Flurry’s article in our August 2022 issue, “The Motives for Mass Shooters,” gives you the perspective you won’t find most media discussing.