At least one woman has been killed and 13 injured, including a young girl, by a gunman who opened fire in the Greektown neighbourhood of Toronto on Sunday night.

Toronto police chief Mark Saunders said the suspect was dead, and that he was not included in the figure of 14 shooting victims. A nine-year-old girl is in hospital in a critical condition.

Canadian police spokesman Mark Pugash said it was too early to say whether the shooting was terrorism. Saunders said the attacker used a handgun.

Witnesses said they heard 25 gunshots at the site of the shooting in Toronto's east end, which has many popular restaurants, cafes and shops.

The gunfire began at at 10 pm local time (3am BST), CityNews.com said.

"We just ran. We saw people starting to run so we just ran," said witness John Tulloch, who had just got out of a car with his brother when they heard the shooting start.

An army of police, paramedics and other first responders soon descended on the scene, while area residents, some in their pajamas, emerged from their homes to see what was happening.

Toronto Councillor Paula Fletcher told CP24 she heard that the gunman was emotionally disturbed.

"It's not gang related. It looks like someone who is very disturbed," Fletcher said.

Councillor Mary Fragedakis also said she heard the gunman was disturbed.

Fletcher said for this to happen in an area where families gather for dinner is a tragedy.

In the weekend just gone, Toronto police deployed dozens of additional officers to deal with a recent spike in gun violence in the city.

"We were so use to living in a city where these things didn't happen," said Toronto's mayor, John Tory. "But there are things that happen nowadays and they are just unspeakable."

"Guns are too readily available to too many people," he added.