Toronto police have appealed for the public's help in their hunt for armed suspects wanted in connection with a city bus shooting that left two passengers seriously wounded.

Eleven-year-old Tamara Carter and a 24-year-old man were shot late Sunday afternoon, after an argument between the man and another group of male youths turned violent.

With approximately 40 passengers aboard, the incident began whenthe man got in an argument with a group of three to five young men. One of the men pulled out a handgun and started firing.

 The man was shot in the head, the leg and stomach as he scrambled toward the front of the vehicle. He underwent surgery for life-threatening injuries.

Carter, who was sitting at the front with her mother, was struck when a stray bullet grazed her forehead.

Area resident Ray Sexton, who lives in an apartment building overlooking the scene of the shooting, says a loud popping sound drew his attention.

"So I looked out the window and saw this guy running," he said in an interview with CTV's Toronto affiliate, CFTO News.

"I didn't see the other four guys, I don't know where they went. Then all of a sudden, a bunch of people got off the bus and walked away. They didn't even stick around."

At a media briefing on Monday morning, Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino expressed relief that both victims are now in stable condition. But, he warned reporters that the suspects-at-large represent an ongoing threat to the city.

"These people are dangerous, they pose a great danger to the public,'' he said, without naming or describing what is believed to be a group of three to five suspects.

"It's absolutely critical for people to realize that only together can we put these people out of commission, they're still out there, they're dangerous, they're armed.''

In order to push the police investigation forward, the police chief said the public needs to come forward with any information.

"We need people to come forward,'' he implored, adding a warning to anyone who may be harbouring the suspects. "We can't have people protecting them or aiding them or abetting them in this very dastardly and heinous crime.''

Police say the victims did not know each other.

Reporting from the scene, CFTO reporter Austin Delaney says sources are telling him the suspects had been bragging about shooting someone shortly before the shots rang out.

Prepared with files from CFTO News