Police still looking for suspect after shooting prompts lockdown of Cape Breton hospital

Cape Breton police seek suspect Shooting in the Sydney area prompted lockdown of regional hospital. Kyle Moore reports.

SYDNEY, N.S. — A man is in hospital and Cape Breton Regional Police are still looking for a suspect in Sydney after a shooting in the municipality on Tuesday night.

The incident prompted the lockdown of the emergency department at the island's largest hospital, but it was business as usual Wednesday at the Emergency department inside the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

On Tuesday evening, staff had an emergency of their own as the ER was locked down -- and access restricted -- with a heavy police presence on site.

"We are pretty use to dealing with stress," said Dr. Chris Milburn, of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. "This is a different type of stress and it’s one we’re not typically dealing with here in cape Breton."

Cape Breton Regional Police responded to the hospital around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night, after several people arrived, including a man who had been shot in the arm.

Police say the man’s injuries are not life-threatening, but he was taken to Halifax for further treatment.

"We are actively investigating an alleged shooting (Tuesday) evening," said Cape Breton Regional Police spokesperson Desiree Magnus."We do have a person of interest that we are actively trying to locate at this time."

Police say they are investigating an altercation in Whitney Pier. They say they have seized the victim’s vehicle and are looking for the driver of a second vehicle, believed to be the suspect in the shooting.

"There's nothing to indicate or reason to believe anyone else's safety is at risk at this point," Magnus said. "An isolated incident between people that are known to each other and police do know who they're looking for."

Initially, a Code Silver was issued at the ER, which is designed to alert staff to the existence of a person with a weapon, but the Nova Scotia Health Authority confirmed the code was called in error.

"I think in cases like this, it’s better to over react than under react," Milburn said."The worst thing that could have been done is assume the best and have the worst happen, so if there was a thought that a weapon was in the ER, I think it’s the right thing to call that code."

The lockdown was lifted just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, putting an end to a stressful situation.

Police say they're not releasing the identity of the suspect because it's still an ongoing investigation. They say anyone with information about the altercation in Whitney Pier last night should contact them.