Toronto shooting kills 2, injures 23 (VIDEO)

A shooting at a block party in Toronto late Monday killed two people and left 23 others injured, including a toddler.

About 200 people were attending a barbecue held outside a community housing complex in the city's east end when gunmen opened fire after an altercation, reported the Canadian Press. The shooting, which police are calling the worst incident of gun violence in Toronto's recent history, killed 14-year-old Shyanne Charles and 23-year-old Joshua Yasay. The 23 injured were sent to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

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"The level of violence is something that we have never experienced and right now we're working very hard to ensure that we provide all the assistance that we can to the people who have been injured," said Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, according to CNN. "We're working fully to identify the people responsible to get them off the street, to get their guns off the streets and bring them before the courts."

Shannon Longshaw, a resident of the complex, said the barbecue started as an event for her three children and other kids living in the neighborhood, with face painting and other activities throughout the day, reported The Globe and Mail. But strangers started to show up, confusing the block party with another party that had been promoted on social media, with hundreds of people gathered when the gunfire broke out.

"Everybody went crazy," Longshaw told the Globe. "Everybody was screaming, looking for their kids. That was the main concern, the children, because it was for the kids."

Blair said police suspect the shooting was gang related, according to CP. He also said one injured "person of interest" is in custody.