TORONTO — Toronto police have charged two 18-year-old men with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the July 11 Salsa on St. Clair Festival shooting that killed Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20, releasing new details Friday about the investigation and the weapons recovered.Jessiah Massaro-Gill and Lewis Downey, both 18, each face two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, along with multiple firearms, drug-trafficking and proceeds-of-crime charges.Chief Myron Demkiw and Detective Sergeant Stacy McCabe of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit provided the update at police headquarters.McCabe said investigators determined the gunfire came from a single weapon, reversing an earlier belief that there may have been an exchange of shots. Two firearms recovered at the scene had not been fired..On August 5, the Emergency Task Force executed a warrant in the Weston Road and St. Phillips Road area and arrested Massaro-Gill. Officers seized three firearms, narcotics and cash.Mobile Support Services shortly afterward arrested Downey in the Church and Wellesley area. A search of his residence yielded another handgun and currency.In total, five handguns have been seized in the investigation. Two originated in the United States. The three recovered during the arrests are undergoing forensic testing to determine whether any were used in the shooting..McCabe described the probe as exceptionally complex, involving thousands of festival-goers, hundreds of hours of video, numerous witness interviews and extensive forensic analysis. She declined to discuss motive, possible gang ties or the accuseds’ backgrounds, saying those details will emerge in court.“Reducing incidents like this to simply gang violence oversimplifies a much more complex problem,” she said. “This investigation is about gun violence and the willingness of young people to use guns with complete disregard for human life.”Demkiw praised the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit, which finished 2025 with a 93% clearance rate and currently sits at 86%. He used the announcement to renew calls for stronger deterrence and law reform.“When someone chooses to fire a gun into a crowded public gathering showing complete disregard for human life, the law must send a clear message that this conduct will be met with the most serious consequences available,” the chief said.Demkiw said officers will maintain a heightened visible presence at festivals this weekend, including Taste of the Danforth, and encouraged the public to attend. The investigation remains ongoing.You can watch the full press conference below.
