Four people were shot near Nathan Phillips Square where the Toronto Raptors, along with millions of people, celebrating the team winning the NBA Title on Monday.

Toronto police said officers were called to the scene on Bay and Albert streets, near the southeast corner of the Square, at approximately 3:45 p.m.

READ MORE: Millions of fans flood downtown Toronto for Raptors victory parade

A spokesperson originally told Global News one of the victims was a woman. No other details about the victims’ identities were released.

However, later police said officers located two victims with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

WATCH: Videos show moment crowd flees after gunshots ring out during Toronto Raptors victory parade

​

Toronto police initially said two people had been shot, but Toronto police chief, Mark Saunders later told reporters that number had been upgraded to four.

“We know that there are four victims right now that have gunshot wounds,” said Saunders in a scrum at the scene. “None of them are life-threatening at this point in time, but I’m grateful that the resolve to this situation was as quick as it was.”

WATCH: Toronto police take down suspect at the scene of a shooting near the Raptors parade

Police said they had three people in custody and recovered two firearms.

On Tuesday, Saunders said neither of the firearms recovered were the one that was fired during the incident.

He also said they are looking for another person of interest – a man who is described as being between five-foot-nine and six feet tall with short light brown hair and a heavy build. At the time, he was wearing a white button down T-shirt and was last seen running westbound on Queen Street.

WATCH: Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders confirmed Monday that four people were shot during the Raptors championship parade.

Video captured by Twitter user @Shamaplan showed several people running full speed in one direction, as officers ran to the scene of the incident.

Fans were told to stay calm and politicians, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mayor John Tory, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all stayed in place on stage.

Some in the crowd said they had not heard any shots but rushed from the area as others panicked.

One 25-year-old woman said she had been watching the speeches at the rally when friends pushed her to the side.

WATCH: People flee scene of shooting near Nathan Phillips Square during Raptors championship parade

She said they started ducking and were then stampeded.

Mike Mudidi said he was enjoying the celebrations when he heard screams behind him that someone had pulled out a gun.

He says he grabbed his buddies’ hands and ran.

Some who stayed behind huddled near pillars in Nathan Phillips Square

The festivities were put on hold while several people, including Raptors coach Nick Nurse and broadcaster Matt Devlin spoke to the crowd, in an effort to keep them calm.

WATCH: Toronto police responded on Monday to a suspected shooting near the Raptors victory parade site.



READ MORE: Overcrowding becomes issue as millions of fans turn up for Raptors championship parade

The celebration resumed shortly after.

The city estimated over two million people were on-hand to witness the parade and subsequent rally, which was meant to wrap up by 2 p.m., but was delayed due to how many people lined the streets.

—With files from The Canadian Press and Kayla McLean

SHOOTING:

Nathan Phillip's Square

-Bay St and Albert St

-Police have located 2 victims

-Injuries serious but not life threatening

-2 people in custody

-2 firearms recovered

-Investigating

^dh — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019

Alex is shaking profusely as he tells me he heard three gunshots near Nathan Phillips Square. @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/oZhqJ7MvVg — Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) June 17, 2019

SHOOTING AT THE RAPTORS CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE. I RAN TO MY COUSIN’S OFFICE!!!! IT’S CHAOS pic.twitter.com/TQXBEngChf — RAPTORS ARE NBA CHAMPS (@shamaplan) June 17, 2019

SHOOTING:

Nathan Phillip's Square

-Reports of woman shot

-People running from area

-Police/EMS are on scene

-Unknown what the injuries are#GO112676

^dh — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019 </s> The Toronto Police Department confirmed a shooting occurred Monday near Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, where the Toronto Raptors are celebrating their 2019 NBA championship:

Police said two victims suffered "serious but not life-threatening" injuries and there are two people in custody.

According to Stephanie Smyth of CP24, police said one of the victims was a woman and were asking for fans to remain calm to avoid a stampede in the square:

The Toronto Star's Jennifer Pagliaro shared a video overlooking the celebration that appears to show fans running away from the scene.

The Toronto Sun's Antonella Artuso and CBC's Meagan Fitzpatrick shared a look at Nathan Phillips Square from ground level as word of the shooting spread (warning: video contains profanity):

According to Reuters' Tyler Choi, an estimated 2 million people traveled to downtown Toronto for the parade and victory rally. Sportsnet's Faizal Khamisa reported some fans were camping out Sunday night in preparation for the event.

The city of Toronto tweeted at 11:59 a.m. ET that Nathan Phillips Square was at capacity and no more fans would be permitted in the area.

The Raptors won their first-ever championship after defeating the Golden State Warriors Thursday in six games in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Toronto FC were the last major sports champions in the city when they won an MLS Cup in 2017. </s> After a historic NBA season that ended in the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history, the Championship Parade will get commence at 10 a.m. today with hundreds of thousands of fans set to join the celebrations.

The parade route will begin at Exhibition Place’s Princes’ Gates, before heading east on Lakeshore Boulevard, north onto York Street and University Avenue and finally heading east on Queen Street to Nathan Phillips Square for a celebration rally at 12:30 p.m.

If you've been wondering who will be marching, here's a list of people and floats participating in the parade this morning.
• Following a motorcade of police vehicles and two broadcast trucks, Toronto Raptors fans, represented by Superfan Nav Bhatia, will serve as the Honorary Parade Marshall.
• Toronto Raptors parade float towed by Ford F-250 carrying MLSE Board of Directors and spouses.
• Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of the Board, MLSE and Chairman, NBA Board of Governors

For those unable to attend the Raptors Championship Parade in person can catch all the action starting at 10 a.m. on TV or online. </s> Two people were shot and another two were arrested near the Toronto Raptors NBA championship victory parade, which was attended by thousands, police confirmed.

Shots rang out Monday afternoon at Bay St. and Albert St. on the eastern side of Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, after which people were seen fleeing the event. Two shooting victims were transported to the hospital with “serious” but non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Toronto Police spokesman. Two firearms were also recovered at the scene.

A motive wasn’t immediately clear ― and a Toronto Fire Services spokesperson told HuffPost that the shooting was unrelated to the festivities ― but it sent crowds of people scattering. Witnesses said they saw people getting trampled.

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

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance at the event. Though the ceremony was briefly delayed, it resumed shortly after the shots rang out before 4 p.m., The Star reported.

Thousands packed out the square to celebrate the Toronto Raptors’ NBA championship win, and the square was reportedly at capacity.

This has been updated throughout. </s> This is just sad you can’t have a nice celebration without people acting crazy. 4 people were shot and wounded at a Toronto Raptors parade. 3 people have been arrested

Droves of Raptors fans ran from the shooting in a stampede from the City Hall square, which was packed with tens of thousands of people. An estimated 1.5 million fans earlier packed downtown Toronto for a parade for the Raptors, raising concerns about safety and overcrowding.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said four people suffered gunshot wounds but added that none of the injuries were life-threatening. Others suffered minor injuries as they tried to get away from the shooting, said Saunders, who asked for witnesses and people who might have video to come forward and help investigators.

“We do have people arrested with firearms, and that’s the start of the investigation,” Saunders said.

Asked if it was a targeted shooting or terrorism-related, police spokeswoman Allison Sparkes said the investigation was ongoing.

During a speech from one of the team owners, the host of the rally interrupted the proceedings to alert the crowd to an emergency and asked for calm. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Toronto Mayor John Tory, NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and other Raptors players were onstage at the time.

“I want to make sure everyone stays calm,” said the host, sportscaster Matt Devlin. “This is serious. Everyone stay calm. … There is an emergency being dealt with.”

Those onstage remained in place, and speeches resumed shortly after.

“I hope all those injured in today’s shooting have a speedy recovery, and I’d like to thank the Toronto police for acting so quickly,” Trudeau tweeted. “We won’t let this act of violence take away from the spirit of today’s parade.”

Mike Mudidi said he was enjoying the celebrations when he heard screams behind him that someone had pulled out a gun. He said he froze as people started running in all directions.

“I just grabbed my buddies’ hands and ran,” he said.

Raptors fan Phil D’Souza said the violence left a bad taste in his mouth, and he questioned whether he would attend a similar event in the future.

“You couldn’t see the shooter, but it was that kind of chaos where you’re just expecting to see somebody coming around the corner. It was that kind of vibe,” D’Souza said.

Another fan said the stampede was scary.

“When you see a bunch of people coming at you, you don’t know what to do, whether to run or not. You don’t want to get stampeded over,” Sam Sunday said.

Tory, the mayor, thanked police for their quick response.

“It is disappointing and I’m sure a source of anger for more than just me that anyone would carry a gun and discharge it at what was otherwise a joyous celebration,” Tory said in a statement. “I hope those found responsible will be held to account to the full extent that the law permits. I want to commend and thank the millions of other people who happily and peacefully celebrated our beloved Toronto Raptors.”

Tory previously urged every city resident to come celebrate the Raptors’ first championship and declared Monday as “We The North Day,” borrowing from the franchise’s slogan.

“Toronto, more than a million of us flooded the streets today to celebrate our Raptors,” city councilman Joe Cressy tweeted. “People of all every age, every race, every religion — our City. As awful as the shooting was and terrifying for many in the crowd afterwards, don’t let it take away from our moment.”

Fans withstood packed conditions to attend the parade. Nicolas Caramanna, 21, said the crowd started to get rowdy shortly after he arrived at 9 a.m.

“I’m really hot and tired, but I’m going to stick around,” he said. “When else am I going to get a chance to do this?”

Many others chose to miss school or work. Cypher Sabanal, 15, said his mom let him skip class to attend the celebration.

John Moreira called in sick to work so he could be part of Toronto’s first celebration of this magnitude since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993.

“I told my boss I wanted to be at the parade and he said there wasn’t much he could do if I called in sick, so that’s exactly what I did,” the 31-year-old said.

As the parade inched forward — discernibly behind schedule — a number of Raptors could not help but marvel at the fan response.

“It’s been amazing,” Leonard said. “Thank you, Toronto, thank you, Canada, for the support. We did it.”

Several fans were seen carrying signs imploring Leonard to re-sign with the Raptors. He will be a free agent this summer.

Kyle Lowry, the team’s longest-tenured player, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy while his teammates smoked cigars.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. </s> The odds of a NBA Finals rematch between Golden State and Toronto occurring in 2020 were already slim due to the long-term injuries suffered by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Golden State's path to its sixth straight final got even tougher Saturday, when ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a trade for Anthony Davis.

A depleted lineup combined with the assumed resurgence of the Lakers behind Davis and LeBron James makes Golden State's chances of even making the NBA Finals next year slim.

The first major move has not been made in the Eastern Conference yet, so as of now Toronto appears to be in good shape to defend its title, but that depends on the status of Kawhi Leonard.

Even before the Lakers secured a deal to acquire Davis, Golden State's championship quest was going to be tough during the 2019-20 campaign.

Instead of boasting multiple superstars on their roster, the Warriors will be led by Stephen Curry and a cast of players hoping to make up for the production of Durant and Thompson.

Of the two injured stars, Thompson is expected to be back for the long-term future, as his father Mychal Thompson told Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle there is "no question" he will re-sign with the Warriors.

That leaves Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and a cast of depth options to produce for a long stretch of the regular season against teams like the Lakers, Houston, Portland and others who will be out for blood.

Of course, there is always the chance the Warriors make it into the playoffs and benefit from a healthy Thompson, but that is a scenario that seems far-fetched at the moment.

For the first time in six years, the Warriors will be viewed as a significant underdog to even make the NBA Finals, but they can't be fully counted out because of their championship DNA.

Over in the East, Toronto's championship chances could be reliant on the free-agent status of Leonard, who is expected to hit the open market July 1.

There is always a chance the Raptors convince Leonard to come back and lay the foundation for a dynasty in the East.

Toronto's pitch to Leonard will include a roster already built to win a championship and a road to the NBA Finals that avoids the Lakers and the other loaded teams in the West.

Toronto proved it could beat the best teams in the East on its path to the 2019 NBA Finals, and the only massive upgrade that might be made by Milwaukee or Philadelphia is the Sixers gaining Jimmy Butler's commitment for the long term.

Even if Leonard leaves, the Raptors have plenty of strong pieces in place, including Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and a healthy OG Anunoby.

Reaching the 2020 NBA Finals will be a more difficult task without Leonard, but Toronto appears to be in better position than Golden State in that situation.

Given all the hurdles in Golden State's path and Toronto possibly playing without Leonard, a rematch of the 2020 NBA Finals seems unlikely to happen.

If one or both teams fail to qualify for the NBA Finals, it will mark the first time since 2011 and 2012 in which two different matchups take place in back-to-back years in the championship series. </s> TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.

The Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA's biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.

Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors, fueled by a crowd that couldn't wait for a party 24 years in the making.

"I think they were into it and that's the way it should be, man," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "That's what home court is, and our fans deserve a bunch of credit for being a big part of that."

TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter during Game One of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn't have home-court — or home country — advantage.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.

The Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession.

But they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime.

Siakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up.

"I thought we made a good effort in the second half, got back in the game. Our guys did some good things, but made too many mistakes to actually go ahead and win the game," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

All four of the Warriors' previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume.

The player nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field — and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play.

Fans began arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren't wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo.

Rapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake sat in his courtside seat wearing a Curry No. 30 jersey. That's Dell Curry, Stephen's father who finished his career with the Raptors.

The Raptors introduced Dell Curry and some of their other former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.

But it wasn't until they went out and got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals.

He wasn't the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.

DeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it's unclear if he'll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first.

The Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.

Warriors: Cousins finished with three points in eight minutes. ... Draymond Green had his fifth triple-double of the postseason with 10 points, 10 rebounds and assists, but shot just 2 for 9. ... Golden State had a 12-game winning streak in Game 1s snapped. ... Curry's four 3-pointers gave him a record 102 in the NBA Finals and he was also 14 for 14 from the free throw line.

Raptors: Danny Green went 3 for 7 from 2-point range after he was just 4 for 23 in the conference finals. ... The Raptors improved to just 4-15 in Game 1s.

>>Click here for more stories on the Warriors & the NBA Finals

For live, local news, download the KRONon app. It lets you watch commercial-free news from the Bay Area's Local News Station on multiple streaming devices.

Click here to subscribe for a free 7-day trial

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
• WOMAN SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS FOR RAPE OF 5-MONTH-OLD GIRL
• SMALL TREMORS ALONG WEST COAST COULD LEAD TO 'BIG ONE'
• VICTIM KILLED IN HAWAII SHARK ATTACK WAS FROM GRANITE BAY </s> TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.

The Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA’s biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.

Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors.

Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn’t have home-court — or home country — advantage.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.

The Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession.

But they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime. surging to an 18-11 lead before the Warriors came right back with eight in a row. Siakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up.

All four of the Warriors’ previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume.

The player nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field — and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play.

The party 24 years in the making started early, with fans arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren’t wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo.

The Raptors introduced some of their former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.

But it wasn’t until they went out and got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals.

He wasn’t the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.

DeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it’s unclear if he’ll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with coach Steve Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first.

The Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> OAKLAND: The Toronto Raptors became the first Canadian team to win an NBA title with a 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday (Jun 13) that set off a country-wide celebration.

The victory gave the Raptors a 4-2 series win and denied the Warriors a fourth NBA championship in five years.

Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam each scored 26 points while Kawhi Leonard and reserve Fred VanVleet each added 22 as the Raptors claimed their historic win.

When the final buzzer sounded, jubilant Raptors fans flooded the streets of downtown Toronto for a night of celebration not seen in the city since Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays last won a World Series title in 1993.

Depite playing against a more playoff-seasoned opponent, the Raptors proved unflappable throughout the series and whenever the Warriors looked set to seize momentum Toronto would use some smart passes and precise shooting to maintain control.

Klay Thompson scored 30 points to lead the Warriors but left the game with a left knee injury late in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left leg.

Injury-hit Golden State was already without two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant, who returned in game five Monday after being sidelined for a month only to suffer a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

Andre Iguodala added 22 points for the Warriors, Stephen Curry had 21 and Draymond Green contributed 11 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.

Golden State had a final shot to win trailing 111-110 but Curry missed a 3-pointer and Green called a timeout when the team had none, setting up three final free throws by Leonard to seal the victory.

Leonard was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career after the first in 2014 with San Antonio.

The Raptors spoiled the Warriors’ farewell appearance at Oracle Arena. Golden State’s home since 1971 will be replaced by a new US$1 billion venue in San Francisco next season. – AFP
Four people are shot and injured at a parade celebrating the 2019 NBA Finals in Toronto.