Gun violence in south, east Ottawa may be linked, police say
Industrial Avenue, Montreal Road, Lorry Greenberg Drive, Cedarwood Drive shootings possibly related
The Ottawa police guns and gangs unit says four shootings within the past month, all in south and east Ottawa, could be related.
In the most recent case, a man was shot six times Monday night while he was sitting inside a white Chevrolet Impala on Industrial Avenue, police said. The shots were fired through a passenger-side window.
It happened at 730 Industrial Ave., near Russell Road, at the Mandaloun Resto Lounge. The call came in at about 11:50 p.m.
At least 10 shots were fired.
When police arrived the victim was found lying on the ground in the restaurant parking lot. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, paramedics said, and he is now in stable condition.
Two different handguns were used in the shooting and multiple shell casings have been recovered, police said. The victim's car has also been seized by police.
The victim is not co-operating with police. There were several witnesses, some of whom are also not co-operating with the investigation, police said.
No arrests have been made, but police have identified two people of interest.
'They're not random shootings'
Guns and gangs unit Staff Sgt. Mark Patterson told CBC News Tuesday that the shooting could be linked to three other recent shootings in the southeast:
- On Nov. 11, eight to 10 handgun shell casings were recovered on Lorry Greenberg Drive after residents called police about hearing shots fired at about 8:30 p.m. In that case there were no witnesses and no victims came forward.
- On Nov. 19, at least 12 shots were fired at a car with two people inside near a strip club on Montreal Road just after midnight. The people inside weren't hurt. Suspects were seen fleeing in a dark-coloured, four-door Hyundai Sonata.
- On Nov. 26, three shots were fired into a highrise apartment building on Cedarwood Drive at about 6:30 p.m. No one was hurt, and suspects were seen fleeing in a newer model silver Dodge Charger with heavily tinted windows and black rims.
"We're investigating the shootings we've had recently in the southeast end of Ottawa to somehow be connected. That's what our detectives are working on right now, to try to find out what the motive is and the targeted victims, to establish, is there a connection between them?" he said.
"The shootings we've had, I can be confident to say that they're not random shootings. There's people there that are targeted victims."
Patterson said police believe two other recent shootings — Murray Street on Nov. 22 and Summerfields Crescent on Nov. 23 — are unrelated.