‘Four really loud bangs’: Halifax police looking for dashcam footage of encampment shooting

Halifax police are investigating the shooting of a man at a homeless encampment.

Andrew Goodsell was on his phone doing a radio interview at Lower Flinn Park in Halifax when he heard shots fired about 50 feet from the tent he was in.

“Next thing you know, you hear four really loud bangs in the background and I just kept on talking with the interview kind thinking I knew what it was but what was I going to do, and next thing you hear the sirens and officers showed up asking about a shooting,” says Goodsell.

Halifax police were called to Lower Flinn Park just before 10 a.m. Sunday. It is a designated sheltering location by the municipality for people experiencing homelessness.

“There were reports of a man found with gunshot wounds. A 30-year-old man was transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries,” says Const. Martin Cromwell with the Halifax Regional Police.

Police do not believe the shooting was random and there is no immediate threat to the public. Police would not reveal if the victim was living at the encampment.

“The investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made at this time. I would like to repeat that we are looking for anyone from the public that does have information or dashcam footage,” Cromwell.

Mayor Andy Fillmore says these kinds of incidents are unacceptable and people in the area have shared their concerns about safety for themselves and their children. His solution is to close these encampments.

“This is impacting people. It impacts their ability to use a public park that’s an important function in their lives living in a city and they are also concerned for their kids’ safety and for their own safety. It really does underline the need that we get people indoors and we continue to close encampments around the city,” says Fillmore.

“We have made good headway on that plan. We have closed University Avenue, we have closed Grand Parade, we have closed Geary Street in Dartmouth, we are in the process of closing Cogswell just off of Quinpool road and my understanding is that Lower Flinn Park is actually next.”

Fillmore says the public safety team with the municipality does daily check-ins with people living at the encampments. Police will maintain their patrols and increase them if needed.

“Officers are patrolling 24/7 and we have marked patrol units and officers that patrol that area,” says Cromwell.

Goodsell says that he doesn’t feel the designated encampments are safe.

“The problem with going outside of your tent in a situation like that is that you are likely to become part of the situation, so stay safe, keep your head down and pray that a bullet doesn’t come through your tent,” says Goodsell.

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