Two men are dead after a shooting inside the Gloucester Centre Mall in Ottawa's east end Wednesday night.
Ottawa police say the shooting took place shortly after 8:30 p.m.
The victims were a 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old man. They were both without vital signs when paramedics arrived.
Their deaths are the eighth and ninth homicides of the year.
According witnesses, the shooting occurred inside the Caribbean Exposure tanning salon, at the Zeller's end of the mall. Shopper Tracy Trebajo said she heard four or five gunshots.
Witnesses said it was a "bloody scene."
Three ambulances left the mall shortly before 9 p.m.
People at the mall were visibly shaken after the shooting.
OC Transpo buses were bypassing Blair Station to avoid the area.
Gloucester Centre is located at Ogilvie and Blair Road in east Ottawa. The area has been the scene of gang activity in the past.
A heavy police presence remained at the mall as of 11:30 p.m.
The shooting comes on the same day that Statistics Canada reported that the country's homicide rates are at their lowest point in 44 years.
The Major Crimes Unit of the Ottawa Police is handling the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493.
More to come
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo
