Ottawa police investigating shooting in ByWard Market

Witnesses to a shooting in Ottawa’s ByWard Market say it was a chaotic scene when shots rang out late Thursday. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports.

The Ottawa Police Service says it is investigating a shooting in the ByWard Market late Thursday night.

Police responded to reports of gunshots in the area of George Street and ByWard Market Square at around 11:20 p.m.

A CTV News Ottawa camera caught the immediate aftermath as police arrived and ran down the street with guns drawn.

“We saw people running. Hitting the ground. Crawling. It was just like chaos. It was chaos over here,” said Richard Lanns, who was in the Auld Dubliner across the street at the time.

“We heard the loud ‘pop!’, which initially we took to be like fireworks. And then we all looked at each other, and then we started hearing screaming. So, then we realized that wasn’t a firework.”

On Friday morning, in an interview with CTV News Ottawa, Andy Fachs says he and his partner were having dinner at The Grand just hours before the incident. He says he’s shocked by the news.

“I didn’t expect that because I felt safe here last night,” he explained. “We were eating here, and I didn’t expect that because it was a very quiet, friendly and peaceful atmosphere. It’s really shocked me.”

One man was found with non-life-threatening injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Guns and Gangs Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 5050 or remain anonymous and report information to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or crimestoppers.ca.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson

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