Two individuals died and 6 more sustained injuries after a fatal shooting occurred in the parking area of a reception for a wedding where multiple wedding activities took place, and others raced to safe locations to avoid being injured, according to local authorities. The shooting occurred as participants were transitioning from one wedding event to another.
The police instructed us to remain inside our vehicles. According to the witness, we were unable to flee the scene.
A witness who arrived to take up a friend informed AFP that the situation was in complete disarray, and that it was impossible to discern the general direction in which people were fleeing because they were scattered everywhere.
The rounds came quickly, then there was shouting, then there came a pause, followed by there was more gunfire, perhaps 15 or 16 more shots from what I remember, he added.
The shooting that resulted in death began at 10:21 p.m. on Saturday (0221 the Universal Time Zone. Sunday) in the parking area of a conference hall in the south end, and the witness stated that the police advised us to remain in our vehicles knowing that we were unable to leave the location of the crime.
Officials from the police department in the capital city of Ottawa have revealed that the victims were two guys from the largest city in Canada, Toronto, both aged 26 and 29.
The police said that two of the six injured people are Americans, but there is no indication that their lives are in danger. It took some time before their identities were made public.
Martin Groulx, an inspector with the police department, commented to AFP regarding the ongoing inquiry that they are “in the midst of integrating all of the components of the puzzle.”
He stated that there was no evidence that the shooting could be considered a hate crime based on the victim’s race or religious views at this time.
However, we cannot rule out the possibility of this happening, he added, clarifying that the inquiry had not yet established a motive for the attack.
As of the afternoon on Sunday, there had been no charges made.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of two people, bringing the total number of homicides reported in 2023 in Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada and has a population of approximately one million people.
In accordance with the government 0f Canada, a number of Canadian cities have experienced an alarming rise in the rate of violent crime in recent years, as well as an increase in the number of shootings that have taken place.
Since 2009, there has been an increase of 81% in the number of violent gun crimes across the country.
