No injuries reported after shots fired at restaurant in Toronto’s Annex area: police

Police are investigating after a restaurant in the Annex was hit by gunfire. CP24 Crime Analyst Steve Ryan reports.

An investigation is underway after a popular Toronto restaurant in The Annex was shot at on Tuesday night, police say.

Police say they responded to reports of a shooting near Davenport and Bedford roads just before 11:30 p.m.

When officers arrived on scene, they said they found evidence of gunfire.

Images from the scene showed what appeared to be at least eight bullet holes in the shattered front windows of MIMI Chinese at 265 Davenport Rd., just west of Avenue Road.

No injuries have been reported and police said the restaurant was closed at the time.

“I heard a big bang. And I heard a lot of people yelling and screaming out there by MIMI (Chinese). I saw a lot of people, like, scrambling and getting out of here,” one man who witnessed the commotion told CTV News Toronto.

Another person said they were coming up Davenport around that time when they saw police and heard sirens.

Karie lives in the area and was walking her dog nearby along Davenport when the shots rang out.

“(It’s) dangerous. I could have been walking on that side of the road,” she said.

“This is a safe area and, you know, we’re filled with a lot of nice restaurants. So, it’s a shame to see something like this go down,” another area resident added.

Restaurant opened on Wednesday evening

This afternoon, crews replaced the damaged windows and despite the shooting, MIMI Chinese opened tonight as planned.

The restaurant, however, declined an in-person interview.

Instead, management provided a written statement to CTV News Toronto that reads:

“Last night, our beloved neighbourhood restaurant was the target of a senseless and random act of violence. We are incredibly grateful that no one was hurt as we were closed at the time and no one was inside,” it said.

“We are fully cooperating with the police investigation and will continue to support law enforcement in any way we can.”

Search continues for info, video footage

So far, police remain unclear about what may have motivated the gunfire.

They also haven’t revealed any details about a suspect.

Investigators spent much of the day canvassing the area for witnesses and surveillance video. They also left a notice at some nearby homes, which said that they’re looking for video footage of a man wearing a black sweater with white writing as well as a black Mercedes sedan.

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information is asked to contact Toronto police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Mike Walker