A man is dead and a woman is fighting for her life after they were both shot outside a North York bowling alley on Saturday night, Toronto police say.

Police say they were called to a bowling alley on Samor Road, west of Dufferin Street at 10:08 p.m. Saturday for a report of 5-10 gunshots fired.

A witness told CP24 he was enjoying a game inside Playtime Bowl at 33 Samor Road when he started to see people around him scrambling for the exits.

He said a person next to him said “gunshots, gunshots” and everyone panicked and fled the building.

Outside, he said he saw one person lying near the front door of the establishment and another person knelt by their side.

Other bystanders said they ran out of the building so fast they were still wearing bowling shoes.

Paramedics said a man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene and a woman in her 20s was rushed to a hospital trauma centre in life-threatening condition.

Officers were in the area conducting a search for possible suspects.

Police said two other bystanders were taken to local hospital for treatment of scrapes sustained in the panic of the shooting.