Man in serious condition following late night shooting

Halifax Regional Police say a 32-year-old man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a shooting in Halifax Sunday night.

Police say they were called to the intersection of Connaught Avenue and Chisholm Avenue at 11:30 p.m. after a report that a man had been shot. When officers arrived, they found him suffering from life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital where he remains in serious condition.

The man, who has not been identified, is the second gunshot victim in Halifax this year. The incident marks the city’s fourth shooting to date in 2020.

Police taped off the area and blocked traffic in both directions on Connaught Avenue from Windsor Street to Regent Road as officers investigated early Monday morning. The area was closed to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic for several hours as investigators processed “the scene in the day light.”

“Our officers will gather any information they can that might be helpful,” said Cst. John MacLeod in an interview. “Again, during the early stages of the investigation, it’s hard to determine what that might be. Like I say, they’re gathering whatever evidence they can find in the area.”

Fred Tokaryk, who lives on Connaught Avenue, said police knocked on his door around 1 a.m. on Sunday asking if he knew anything about what happened.

“The dog heard (the knock) before I did,” he told Global News. “I just got up to see what was there, turned the lights on in the house, and walked to the front door and there was a policeman there just checking, making sure that I was by myself in the house I guess… I didn’t hear any shots or anything like that.”

Tokaryk said he’s disturbed that the shooting took place across the street from the house he’s lived in for years.

“Yeah that bothers me, it’s the first time anything like that’s ever happened, to my knowledge anyway, around here.”

Police do not have a suspect in custody in relation to this incident or any suspect information. MacLeod said the force will not update the public on the victim’s condition unless it becomes fatal — and therefore, a homicide. They are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

In 2019, there were 28 confirmed shootings in Halifax with 11 victims and three homicides. It’s too early to say whether the numbers will increase in 2020, MacLeod added.

“These vary from year to year as to why and how they occur so again, we’ll certainly be looking into each one and investigating them thoroughly.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 3:43 p.m. to accurately reflect the number of Halifax homicides in 2019. Police initially told Global News there was one and later corrected that to three.