Residents of a downtown Ottawa apartment building are feeling nervous and scared after an early morning shooting right outside in the building’s front parking lot.
“A car pulled up, one man got out, and started firing shots at the car” one eyewitness who did not want to be named told CTV, “I heard four shots.”
The man was just feet away from the shooter when he says the gunfire erupted outside the apartment building at 170 Lees Avenue around 1:05am July 14, 2014. He says after firing the shots, the gunman fled in a nearby field, the car involved then skidded off.
“It is scary, at first I thought it was firecrackers but then I saw the guy shooting at the car. I’m lucky that they didn’t shoot at me.”
Several other witnesses told CTV Ottawa they saw the action unfold from their apartment windows. All witnesses asked they don’t be identified because they fear for their safety.
The Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Unit is investigating reports of the shooting but say there have been no injuries and officers have been unable to find any physical evidence to support the sounds of the shots fired.
This is the 19th shooting reported in Ottawa this year. Many in the community fear gun and gang violence is on the rise.
Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Acting Staff Sergeant Kenny Bryden says there has been no increase in gun or gang violence in the city, adding the number of cases is on par with other years. He says it’s common to see more gun violence in the warmer months.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Unit at 613.236.1222 extension 5050 or Crime Stoppers at 613.233.8477(TIPS) or 1.800.222.8477.
