(CNN) Sunday's shooting rampage in Toronto that left two people dead has brought more scrutiny on a growing issue in Canada's most populous city: gun violence.

Toronto has seen a recent spike in gun violence and homicides this year. In 2017, Toronto Police Service reported 205 shootings. As of Monday -- with five months left to go in the year -- the 2018 totals have already exceeded last year's totals that with 228 shootings.

Homicides in the city have also increased this year, so far to 58 -- having exceeded last year's total of 24. Most of the homicides this year -- 29 out of 58 -- were from shootings, according to police.

The Sunday shooting in Toronto's Greektown neighborhood killed two people -- a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman -- among the 15 people who were shot. The assailant is also dead and investigators are trying to understand what prompted the violence.

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Just two days before the shooting, Toronto had deployed more resources, putting 200 more officers on the streets of at-risk neighborhoods between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. in an effort to reduce gun violence. In the announcement of the plan earlier this month, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders didn't point to one factor to increasing gun violence, but said they need to work to get kids to not join gangs and to keep guns out of the hands of gangs.

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