Man shot in the leg seeks help from Toronto firefighters

Toronto Fire Services say a man who suffered a gunshot wound asked for help from firefighters who happened to be in the area of the shooting early Sunday.

Capt. Adrian Ratushniak, spokesperson for Toronto Fire Services, said firefighters were putting their equipment away and returning to their vehicle at about 2:30 a.m. when the man approached. The firefighters were at 101 Humber Boulevard on a medical call.

He said the man indicated he had been shot and the firefighters administered first aid. They applied pressure to the wound to try to control the bleeding. 

Ratushniak said police arrived and made sure the victim did not have any weapons. Toronto Paramedic Services were also attending to the call at 101 Humber Boulevard and another ambulance was called. The man was then taken to hospital.

"I would say it's not common that firefighters are approached in this kind of way. It just happened that we happened to be there at the time," he said.

"Sixty per cent of what firefighters do is medical."

Const. Caroline de Kloet, spokesperson for the Toronto police, said police were able to locate the scene of the shooting and found shell casings on the street at Spears Street and Northland Avenue near Humber Boulevard and Weston Road.

Police initially received a call about the sound of gunshots at about 2:20 a.m. in the area of Weston Road and St. Clair Avenue West.

De Kloet said the man approached firefighters about ten minutes after police received the call. She confirmed the man suffered a leg injury.