Shooting investigation underway in Kitchener

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Police investigating reports of gunshots heard in Kitchener

Shots fired in Kitchener neighbourhood

Gunshots rang out in a Kitchener neighbourhood on Thursday night.

Officers with the Waterloo Regional Police Service were called to Monte Carlo Street and Victoria Street South at around 8:40 p.m.

A group of youths had been standing outside a townhouse complex when they were approached by a male.

Police said he fired multiple shots into the ground before fleeing the area.

“I heard, very loud, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,” a neighbour named Lorainne told CTV News. “It sounded like fireworks to me.”

“My wife was inside,” said Dave, another neighbour. “She came out and said, ‘Somebody’s shooting fireworks.’ I said, ‘No, that is a gun going off.”

None of the youths were hurt.

Officers wearing tactical gear searched the area late into the night. Teams, including a canine unit, also checked out a wooded area behind the complex. Police did not say what they were looking for.

Police have not made an arrest or shared a description of the shooter.

Neighbours told CTV News it may have been a teen.

“All the kids are playing over there and another kid started shooting gunshots, and our kids started running,” said Renee, whose children were the nearby field. “It’s absolutely insane and makes me sick to my stomach.”

As for a motive, police have only said it is believed to be a targeted shooting.

Anyone with information on the shooting, or witnessed the incident, is asked to contact police at519-570-9777, ext. 6370. Anonymous tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.waterloocrimestoppers.com.

This was the sixth shooting reported in the Region of Waterloo this year.

- With reporting by Alexandra Holyk and Jeff Pickel