Two dead, one injured after deadly day in west end

Shooting victims identified Ottawa Police search for witnesses in the slaying of two men in West Ottawa Monday.

It has been a deadly day in the city's west end, with two men shot to death and a third in critical condition with gunshot wounds.

It all started with a man showing up just after 7 a-m at the Queensway Carleton hospital with gunshot wounds.

Almost two hours later, police found a man dead in the Elmhurst park area near Tavistock Road.

Then around 1 p.m. another man was found shot dead inside a vehicle on Wayne Avenue, near the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway.

It was a gruesome discovery for someone out walking their dog in the rain.  It was around 8:45 a.m. when they found the body of a man, lying in a laneway, dead from a gunshot wound; a scary scene for folks living there.

“It's a nice neighborhood,” says one man walking by, “I'm shocked that it happened in this area.”

Now the quiet street of Tavistock near Lincoln Fields is a crime scene along with Alpine Avenue, a block away where another shooting happened hours earlier.

“I’m less likely to let my girlfriend walk the dog, that's for damn sure,” says resident Zack Burton, “but it’s good to know the cops are here taking care of everything.”

Police were first alerted about the shootings when a man was brought to the Queensway Carleton Hospital with a gunshot wound.  He's in serious condition in hospital.  That was 7 a.m.  Police went to Alpine Avenue to investigate that shooting.  At 8:45, they were told about a body found a block away on Tavistock.  He had been shot to death.

“It's horrible to hear something like that is happening in your neighbourhood,” says a woman.

The third location on Wayne Avenue is where police were called about 5 hours later.  It is a quiet cul de sac where neighbours noticed a white car that had been running for hours, with its windshield wipers and headlights were still on and what appeared to be a body in the passenger seat.

“The engine was running,” says Inspector John McGetrick with the Ottawa Police, “the officers investigated and found a deceased male inside.  He had been shot.”

Police are trying to determine how the three scenes are connected.  They have no suspects at this point.

James Palmer rents a house just down the block.

“What happens on this street is we don't have many lights, it's a dark street,” says resident James Palmer, “so I can see why people would come down here. You would expect it to be more lovers’ lane than a murder row.”

That would almost be funny if it weren't true. After a record number of shootings last year, police are concerned.

“I'm not going to say this is a trend,” says Inspector McGetric, “but the number of shootings in the city is always concerning and a day like this is frankly horrific.”

These two homicides are now the 7th and 8th for Ottawa this year.