Two Toronto men are dead and six other men were injured, including an American, after a shooting outside of a wedding venue in Ottawa on Saturday night.
Here’s what we know about the incident:
The shooting happened just before 10:30 p.m.
The Ottawa Police Service said officers responded to the scene at around 10:21 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of Gibford Drive, which is near Uplands Drive and Hunt Club Road, south of the city’s downtown core.
Residents living in the area reported hearing between 20 and 25 gunshots.
Shortly after the incident, police posted on social media, asking the public to stay away from the scene.
A few hours later, police said two people were dead and there were “many injured victims who attended hospital.”
The shooting happened outside of the Infinity Convention Centre.
Ottawa police Det. Krista Hill told Global News on Monday that two wedding events were happening at the convention centre at the time of the shooting.
Ottawa police confirmed Sunday morning that six people were injured in the shooting, not including the two who were deceased.
“Our victim support unit has put supports in place for those injured,” police said in a release.
“This violence is tragic and unacceptable. It is disturbing for our entire community. Police are reaching out to community leaders to ensure the families of the victims are supported.”
All of the victims were attending a wedding, police said.
2 dead identified as Toronto men
In an update later Sunday, police identified the two men killed as 26-year-old Said Mohamed Ali and 29-year-old Abdishakur Abdi-Dahir, both of whom were from Toronto.
Their deaths mark Ottawa’s 11th and 12th homicides of 2023.
No suspect information or possible motive
Suspect information and information regarding a possible motive remains scarce.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation. All investigative angles are being explored,” police said Sunday.
“At this stage, there is no indication that this was a hate-motivated shooting.”
Ottawa police Acting Insp. Amy Bond said Sunday that investigators were still working to determine how many people may have been involved.
On Monday, Hill said it was still unclear if there was one or more shooters but said that “we would never release that.”
No arrests have been made and no suspect information released.
1 victim remains in hospital
Hill said that all of the injured victims were young men.
When asked to confirm whether all of the victims were struck by gunfire, or if they were injured by other means, Hill said she wouldn’t comment, saying it could compromise the investigation.
An Ottawa paramedics spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the shooting.
Hill confirmed that one of the injured was an American.
She said it was believed that one victim remained in hospital as of Monday, while the others had been released.
Some of the other injured victims were reported to have been released from hospital the same night as the shooting.
Officers are continuing to investigate and are appealing for witnesses and anyone with video footage from the area to come forward.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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