HALIFAX – A man is dead after an apparent self-inflicted gun wound in downtown Halifax, and now the Serious Incident Response Team, SiRT, is investigating.
Just after 4:15 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to the Radisson Hotel on Hollis Street for a weapons complaint after four people were refused entry.
“They left and apparently some third party informed the staff that he thought someone from this group had fired a shot from a gun outside the hotel,” said Staff Sgt. Reid McCoombs with Halifax Regional Police.
Just before 4:45 a.m., police located three men and one woman matching the description of the suspects in the area of Barrington and Blowers Streets.
One of the men ran south on Barrington as police approached; as he ran, a gun went off and caused a self-inflicted wound.
The 25-year-old man was taken to hospital where he died.
A man and woman were arrested at the scene.
The woman is 19 years old and the two men are 20 and 24 years old. All three were in police custody but have since been released.
It is unknown what, and if any, charges they may face.
“That’s still up in the air. They’re being interviewed right now with respect to the alleged shot that was fired outside the hotel,” McCoombs said.
He adds that the trio were not carrying firearms and notes the incident is concerning.
“Anytime there is a gunshot fired, anytime, it’s alarming you know. This is one, possibly two, shots that were fired in the downtown core on a Saturday night.”
The Major Crime Unit is investigating the shot fired outside the hotel while SiRT is investigating the death of the 25-year-old.
SiRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police whether or not there is an allegation of wrongdoing.
Ron MacDonald, the director of Nova Scotia SiRT, said three officers were involved in the incident. The trio have not been put on administrative leave as a result of the investigation.
“Every incident is different. Sometimes when there are specific criminal allegations made, officers are put on leave,” he said.
“In this case, there is, at this point, no specific criminal allegation made against any police officer.”
MacDonald said investigators will be looking at a variety of evidence.
“Measurements, distances, in terms of where things occurred. We’re also interviewing witnesses. We’ve already interviewed several witnesses to date at this point. We’ll be interviewing many police witnesses.”
“We’ll also be looking for video evidence. We’ll be getting radio transmission evidence. We hope to speak to several police officers about the matter. There’s also evidence from the autopsy that’s being conducted,” he said.
The autopsy on the victim is expected to be completed by Sunday night.
MacDonald said SiRT has so far responded to three incidents this year alone. He estimates the average caseload is between 20 to 25 cases per year.
Barrington was shut down between Blowers and Salter Streets as investigators combed the scene. It re-opened just after 2:30 p.m.
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