A man has been taken to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting in Kitchener.
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said they were called to the Vanier Drive and Massey Avenue area around 2:12 a.m. after they received reports that a male had been shot.
“When you see police cars lining the street, no noise, you know something tragic has happened,” said nearby resident, Nicole Rasmussen.The area became a crime scene overnight after a man was wounded in what police are calling a targeted shooting.
“We located a 30-year-old male who was suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to an out-of-region hospital, suffering from serious injuries. He’s now in stable condition,” said Insp. Kyle Lambert.
Police said there had been an altercation involving a 30-year-old woman inside a multi-unit home. She was not hurt, but investigators said she knew the male victim. Police said a second man then entered the home.
“The firearm has not been recovered by investigators or police at this time, so we’re still looking for that,” explained Lambert. “I can say there was a male suspect who was seen fleeing the location. He can be described as male with light brown skin. He was tall, with a larger build [and] wearing dark clothing and a hood. The male victim and the female victim did know one another. I wouldn’t get into any type of a relationship between the suspect and the two parties.”
WRPS said this is the third shooting so far this year in the region, but it is the only shooting where someone was hurt.
“Some of these investigations obviously involve cooperation from our victims and cooperation from our witnesses,” said Lambert. “It’s a major concern. I can say that we did have 22 [shootings] last year so hopefully we don’t get to that number. We’re doing everything that we can in our power not to."
With a gunman still on the loose, neighbours are feeling uneasy.
“It has been a fairly safe neighborhood,” explained Rasmussen. “There have been little incidents, but nothing like this and it’s really eerie to have that happen.”
Members of WRPS’s Major Crime Unit, General Investigations Unit, and Forensic Identification Unit are continuing the investigation.
Anyone with any information or security camera footage is urged to contact police.
