Five people in a crowd at a popular annual festival highlighting the history of Africville in Halifax are in hospital — including one believed to be in life-threatening condition — after getting caught up in an exchange of gunfire between two men, police said.
At roughly 10 p.m. Saturday, Halifax Regional Police said they “responded to reports of multiple shots fired” at the annual Africville Reunion.
Police say two men “exchanged gunfire and shots went into the surrounding crowd, striking five people.”
In an update Sunday afternoon, police told reporters that four of the five caught in the crossfire and taken to hospital were in their 20s, with one of the victims in their late teens. Police provided no other identifying information about the victims.
Public information officer Const. John MacLeod said Sunday that “at this point we don’t have specific suspect information,” but stressed that police believe this was not a “random” incident.
Police suggested another individual was “targeted” and that the five taken to hospital were all bystanders. It’s unclear whether the targeted individual was injured.
Former Africville resident Paula Grant-Smith was outraged by the violence, describing the scene as like “being in a warzone.”
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“I am livid that my grandchildren, my nieces and my nephews had to go through that last night.”
Mayor Mike Savage addressed the incident in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“The Africville reunion is a time for family, friends and fellowship. My heart goes out to those injured last night and everyone impacted by the shootings.”
The police investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or video is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
— with files from Global News’ Emma Convey
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