Double homicide at Orleans plaza and tight race for mayor of Ottawa: Top five stories this week

Two people killed in a nighttime shooting at an Orleans plaza, police investigate unsanctioned Panda Game festivities in Sandy Hill and a tight race for mayor of Ottawa.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.

Two dead in Orleans shooting Wednesday night

Ottawa police continue to investigate after two men were shot dead in the parking lot of a plaza in Orleans.

Emergency crews responded to the shooting in the area of Tompkins Avenue and Tenth Line Road just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second man died from his injuries in hospital. The victims have been identified as Krishel Kanin Murphy-Nimblett, 28, and Mohamed Omar Mohamed, 23, both of Ottawa.

A third man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was released from hospital.

Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Jeff Pilon says investigators believe it was a "targeted" shooting.

"We are very mindful today that this is a very tragic incident, that two families have lost loved ones to gunplay in our city and our thoughts are definitely with the families today," Pilon said Wednesday afternoon.

"There are a lot of investigative steps that need to continue. That will be interviewing anybody that has any type of involvement, seeking out and reviewing any type of surveillance video, there's a lot of forensic work that needs to be accomplished to help assist with the investigation."

Ottawa police are investigating an evening shooting at a plaza in the area of Tompkins Avenue and Tenth Line Road Wednesday night that left two men dead. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)

Police investigating 'unnecessary and unacceptable' behaviour during post-Panda Game party in Sandy Hill

An Ottawa city councillor says cancelling the annual Panda Game won't stop the party from spilling into the streets of Sandy Hill.

Mathieu Fleury made the comment as Ottawa police launched an investigation into what it called "unnecessary and unacceptable" behaviour during an "unsanctioned gathering" near the University of Ottawa campus last Saturday night.

Thousands of people gathered on Somerset Street hours after the Gee-Gees beat the Carleton Ravens in the 53^rd Panda Game at TD Place.

Seven people were arrested and dozens of tickets were handed out for open alcohol and excessive noise during festivities related to the football game.

Fleury says there needs to be a "serious conversation" about homecoming weekend in the capital to keep streets and residents safe.

“Like last year, there needs to be a full debrief," Fleury said. "It is very early to say one way or the other, people will ask and say, this seems simple. People like the football game or they don’t."

Hundreds of people packed streets in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighbourhood Saturday night as part of post-Panda Game celebrations. (Shaun Vardon/CTV News Ottawa)

Tight race between McKenney and Sutcliffe for Ottawa mayor, 35 per cent undecided: Nanos poll

Catherine McKenney leads Mark Sutcliffe in a tight race for mayor of Ottawa, but a new poll suggests 35 per cent of Ottawa residents remain undecided with just over two weeks left in the election campaign.

The Nanos Research poll for CTV News Ottawa asked respondents, "Who would you vote for if the election was held today?"

Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said they would vote for McKenney, while 24 per cent of respondents would vote for Sutcliffe.

Bob Chiarelli ranked third, with nine per cent of respondents saying they would vote for the former mayor of Ottawa.

There are 14 candidates running for mayor of Ottawa in the election.

The poll shows 0.9 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Nour Kadri, 0.8 per cent would vote for Brandon Bay, 0.6 per cent supported Param Singh and 0.5 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Mike Maguire.

The Nanos poll also shows 48 per cent of respondents ranked experience as "important" in municipal politics, while 32 per cent of respondents rated experience as "average" and 15 per cent said experience is "not important".

Nanos conducted an online survey of 503 Ottawa residents, 18 years of age and older, between Sept. 23 and Oct. 3.  Nanos conducted a non-probability survey representative of the city, and there is no margin of error.

A Nanos Research poll for CTV News Ottawa asked respondents who would you vote for if the Ottawa municipal election was held today. (Nanos Research)

Ottawa police lay hate-motivated charges following attack near Gloucester High School

Ottawa police say six young people are facing charges following an attack last month near Gloucester High School, video of which was widely shared on social media.

Parents in Gloucester and Beacon Hill said they were distraught by the violence that was caught on camera Sept. 8. Video showed a group of boys punching and kicking a boy on Ogilvie Road, appearing to take his necklace and phone.

The victim is a Syrian immigrant. It was his third day at Gloucester High School.

In a news release Monday, Ottawa police said the investigation was complex and involved the robbery unit and youth officers. Six youths, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, are facing what police called “multiple hate-motivated offences, including robbery, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and intimidation by violence.”

This is the most popular vehicle stolen by thieves as auto thefts skyrocket in Ottawa

Ottawa police are reporting a sharp rise in the number of vehicles stolen in Ottawa this year, with newer model Honda CRV's topping the list of targets for thieves.

Nearly 800 vehicles have been reported stolen in Ottawa so far this year, and police say in many cases, organized crime groups are taking them to the nearest port, Montreal, to be shipped overseas.

The top vehicles stolen in Ottawa this year, according to Ottawa police:

• Honda CRV
• Lexus / Toyota 
• Jeep Cherokee / Dodge Durango
• Ford pickup truck / Lincoln
• Acura RDX

Panning shot of blue Honda CRV driving on city road, August 2021. (Konstantin Grigorev/Dreamstime.com)