A 10-YEAR-OLD girl and 18-year-old woman have been confirmed dead and 13 others are injured after a gunman went on a deadly rampage along a busy Toronto street.

The killer mowed people down with a handgun in the Canadian city’s Greektown about 10pm on Sunday local time. He died after an exchange of gunfire with police.

Witness Andrew Matzios said he had just said goodbye to some friends when he saw a man in a dark baseball cap begin firing at people waiting to cross the road, before turning and shooting into a gyros store.

“He has this look in his face full of hate — he was trying to kill people — like a dog baring his teeth,” Mr Matzios told the Edmonton Journal.

A woman then ran past the shooter and stumbled, added the witness. The gunman stopped firing, turned and shot her two or three times as she lay on the ground.

“He went back and finished her off,” said Mr Matzios, who described it as an execution. “The woman who died on the scene, she was shot in front of my eyes.”

The shooter then returned to the corner, still shooting. “Obviously he wanted to do the most damage, kill as many people as he could,” said Mr Matzios.

Toronto Police chief Mark Saunders said the injured ranged in age from 10 to 59, and were being treated in hospital.

At least five of those shot were in a serious or critical, but stable, condition. St Michael’s Hospital trauma surgeon Dr Najma Ahmed said three of those people needed immediate life-saving surgery.

Mr Saunders refused to release the suspect’s name. He said authorities “do not know why this has happened yet” but did not rule out terrorism.

Witnesses shared footage online of the moment the lone gunman, dressed completely in black, opened fire on the busy strip which is popular with locals and tourists for its many restaurants, cafes and shops.

In one clip, filmed from a second storey balcony, the gunman can be seen walking with purpose along a footpath on Danforth Avenue. He pulls out a handgun, turns towards a restaurant, and starts shooting.

Police responded to reports of up to 25 shots being fired near the Brass Taps Pizza Pub. Local reporter Jeremy Chohn tweeted: “Victims are spread across many blocks.”

A witness who was standing near the scene told CTV that he heard about 20 shots and the sound of the weapon being repeatedly reloaded.

My thoughts are with everyone affected by the terrible tragedy on the Danforth last night in Toronto, and may the injured make a full recovery. The people of Toronto are strong, resilient and brave - and we’ll be there to support you through this difficult time. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 23, 2018

“And then, I saw the carnage as I ran down the street here to kind of follow the gunfire,” the man, who described the scene as “pretty crazy”, told the station.

“I saw at least four people shot.”

One local resident has uploaded a video to Twitter in which shots can be heard ringing out.

“Holy sh*t! The shooting on the Danforth happened right in front of my place,” she wrote.

“I was watching a movie and all I heard were gun shots … so scary.

“I don’t feel safe in Toronto anymore, not even in my own neighbourhood.”

Witness Jody Steinhauer told CBC she was at a restaurant on Danforth Avenue with her family when she heard what sounded like 10 to 15 firecracker blasts. She said customers were then told to run to the back of the restaurant.

“We started to hear people scream out front,” Ms Steinhauer said. “We heard a woman yell, ‘Help!” My partner went outside the restaurant and the woman was right there. She had been shot.”

Her boyfriend and a doctor who was in the restaurant attended to the woman, who had been shot in the thigh. “She was screaming and yelling and in shock. Nobody was with her. That was the scary part.”

John Tulloch said he and his brother had just gotten out of their car on Danforth Ave. when he heard about 20 to 30 gunshots.

“We just ran. We saw people starting to run so we just ran,” he said.

My evening was nice until I heard shooting right out of my place on the danforth. So scary!! The gun violence in Toronto is crazy. pic.twitter.com/eNHLlUlp6r — Nimo (@nsxoxoii) July 23, 2018

Emergency services, including police with their weapons drawn, set up a large cordon. “When you have this many people that are struck by gunfire, it’s a grave concern,” he said. “I’m not closing any doors.”

Tanya Wilson was closing her tattoo shop on the street when a mother and her son ran into her store with gunshot wounds to their legs “They said they were walking and a man told them to get the hell out his way and he just shot them,” Wilson said.

.@TorontoPolice arrivinn on scene multiple people injured in a shooting in the area of Danforth and Logan.Multiple @TorontoMedics & @Toronto_Fire on scene.Scene spanning several blocks. @TorontoPolice ETF searching for shooter. EMS & Police command posts enroute to scene #toronto — Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) July 23, 2018

Shooting in Toronto on Danforth near Logan. So many sirens, woke me up. Multiple victims reported by the local news.

More sirens. Horror on a beautiful Sunday night. Sad for the victims and first responders. — Liz Allder (@liz_allder) July 23, 2018

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said his “thoughts are with everyone affected by the terrible tragedy.” He said the people of Toronto were “strong, resilient and brave” and “we’ll be there to support you.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the “horrific” shooting. “My heart goes out to the victims and loved ones of the horrific act of gun violence in Toronto,” he said in a statement.

“Thank you to all the first responders for acting quickly to help everyone affected.”

Toronto Police sergeant Glenn Russell said that witnesses were being transported by buses to multiple offices to speak with investigators.

Toronto mayor John Tory said police had vowed to find out “exactly what happened and why”.

“On behalf of all Toronto residents, I am outraged that someone has unleashed such a terrible attack on our city and people innocently enjoying a Sunday evening,” he wrote in a tweet.

“While our city will always be resilient in the face of such attacks, it does not mean such a cowardly act committed against our residents is any less painful — this is an attack against innocent families and our entire city.”

Mr Tory said the shooting took place in a “very peaceful part of the Danforth” and was evidence of a “gun problem” in Toronto. “It’s almost inconceivable that these things can happen,” he said. “Guns are too readily available to too many people.”

Toronto councillor Paula Fletcher said the attack was “not gang related” and the gunman was shooting “indiscriminately” into restaurants and into a park. “I know we always say, ‘That can’t happen here,’ when we see those gunmen in the States doing the same thing, and it has happened here now,” Ms Fletcher said.

The shooting comes on the same weekend Toronto police deployed dozens of additional officers to deal with a recent spike in gun violence in the city.

Canada traditionally has relatively low levels of gun violence compared with its neighbour the United States. But the number of shootings in Toronto has doubled in recent years, according to data from the Toronto Police Service. The city had 177 shootings in 2014, 395 in 2017, and has already surpassed 200 just over half way through this year. About two dozen have been fatal.

Canada’s crime rate rose by one per cent in 2017, the third consecutive annual increase, according to Statistics Canada. The murder rate jumped by seven per cent, due largely to killings in British Columbia and Quebec.

Gun violence isn’t the only issue the city has had to grapple with this year. On April 23, a white van ploughed into pedestrians on a footpath in the north of the city. The incident was not officially deemed a terror attack.

Local man Alek Minassian indicated anger towards women in a now-deleted Facebook post and praised mass murderer Elliot Rodger, who killed six people and wounded 13 in shooting and stabbing attacks near the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2014.

Minassian was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.

megan.palin@news.com.au | @Megan_Palin