‘Pain will not have the final word’: Sacred fire, vigil held after Toronto police identify shooting victims 13.07.2026

Approximately 50 people gathered outside St. Matthew's United Church on Monday evening for a sacred fire and vigil following Saturday's mass shooting at the Salsa on St. Clair festival, which killed Shaquan Quashie, 25, and Cesar Vernaza, 20, and injured five bystanders. Pastor Jenni King-Feheley, who led the event alongside Elder Catherine Brooks and Pastor Miguel Fernandez, described it as a "gentle evening" for collective grieving and healing. During the vigil, Rojas, speaking for the Latino community, noted that many fled violence in their homelands only to encounter it again in Toronto, repeating three times, "May it never happen again." Fernandez added that "bad people need to know that the Latino community is strong, hard-working, and resilient."


















