Edmonton police are looking for the public’s help gathering more information about a shooting that happened on violent day that also saw several people killed and injured in mid-May.
The shooting happened outside a bar, just after midnight on Thursday, May 19.
Police said officers responded to a weapons complaint at 101 Avenue and 104 Street. Two people were arguing outside the bar, and one of them shot the other before running away. Police said the two didn’t know each other before getting into a fight.
The victim, a 27-year-old man, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. On Thursday, police said he has since been released.
It happened just hours after the Battle of Alberta playoff series kicked off between the Oilers and Flames, drawing thousands of people to watch the away game at bars and pubs across the city.
“This shooting took place not long after a hockey game that saw many Edmontonians partaking in post-game entertainment in the downtown core,” says Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart, who oversees the firearms investigation unit within the EPS drug & gang enforcement section.
Police said the firearms unit continues to investigate the shooting and noted that multiple bullets were found lodged in nearby condo buildings in downtown.
“The risk to citizens living in and visiting the area at the time was extremely high and we consider it fortunate that no other injuries were reported.”
A suspect has not been arrested, police said Thursday. Police are hoping anyone with information about this incident will contact the EPS or Crime Stoppers
The pub shooting happened in the same 24-hour time span in which two men were killed in Chinatown, a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle, and there was a stabbing at the Bay-Enterprise LRT station, in addition to other lesser crimes and calls officers responded to.
The rash of violence crimes prompted Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro to invoke Section 30 of the Police Act and demand a plan from the City of Edmonton detailing what it would be doing to address it.
Last week, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi outlined a partial plan and on Thursday, released the Downtown Core and Transit System Safety Plan to the public.
It outlines 12 recent actions the city has taken to support safety (focusing on public spaces, bylaw, cleanliness, communication and enforcement), four streams of longer-term work, as well as specific requests for support from the provincial government to help address this multi-layered issue.
Shandro said the plan has been submitted to his office.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Emily Mertz, Global News
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