'In a blink it went from peacefulness to mayhem': Two local residents escape Yorkdale mall shooting
It was a frightening scene at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto after reports of shots fired sent the shopping centre into lockdown on Sunday.
Two local residents were inside the mall when it all happened.
“It was definitely frightening. It was surreal,” says Christine Tir.
Longtime friends Christine Tir and Zain Ismail were driving home Sunday from a weekend away when they decided last minute to stop for lunch at Yorkdale Mall.
“In a blink, it went from peacefulness to mayhem pretty much. People running everywhere, screaming, kids crying,” Tir says. “It was pretty crazy. It was wild.”
Not long after entering the mall, the pair heard an uproar of noise behind them.
“We just heard this muffled wave of noise behind us and her and I turned around just to see everybody running our way as fast as they could,” says Ismail.
“We just saw floods of people just charging towards us,” says Tir.
Not knowing what was happening, Tir says their reaction was to run.
“It was a stampede of people. We didn’t hear the gunshots, we had no idea what was going on. Zain just grabbed my arm and dragged me through the mall,” says Tir.
Wanting to know what was going on, Zain says they stopped to check his phone.
“I pulled up Twitter and searched Yorkdale, saw people posting gunshots and a shooting and that’s when I said to Christina, it’s time to go,” Zain says.
“My reaction was to flee. I just kept saying we have to get out of here, we have to find an exit. We have to get out of here. I just don’t wanna be here,” says Tir.
The pair ran finding their way through an underground corridor.
“Most people chose to stay and kind of huddle. I’m not sure what the reasoning was, but Zain was calling for people to come through these doors with us,” says Tir.
Soon finding their way to safety.
“Once we kind of scurried down there for a few minutes and started to see where the exits were, I was completely relieved,’ says Ismail.
“That’s when police started arriving, all the trucks are pulling in and we made it out before they locked the mall down,” says Tir.
Tir and Ismail are grateful to be alive, but their experience has left them on high alert.
“I’m going to think twice just be on guard when I’m at the mall,” says Tir.
“I definitely won’t be going to another mall, on a plane or sporting event without in my mind saying OK how am I going to get out of here if something happens,” says Ismail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.