ROBERT SIBLEY, EVELYN HARFORD & SHAAMINI YOGARETNAM
Monday, February 1, 2016
Scene of homicide at Iris street and Cobden road on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. (James Park / Ottawa Citizen) JAMES PARK / OTTAWA CITIZEN
One man is dead and another was in serious condition in hospital following a double shooting Sunday evening — the city’s second homicide of the year — in the west end.
Police raced to the Iris Plaza mini-mall, at the intersection of Iris Street and Cobden Road, at about 5:30 p.m. after receiving several calls from residents who reported hearing gunshots.
At the scene, inside the Shifa Restaurant, they found two victims, one dead and another “very seriously injured,” said Insp. Sean McDade.
The Shifa Restaurant is one of several small outlets, including a bar, fast-food operations, a food mart and a butcher shop in the strip mall. The restaurant bills itself as an African restaurant specializing in Somali cuisine.
One nearby resident, who identified himself as John, said he was in his garage at the time and heard more than a half-dozen shots fired in quick succession. Police, he said, told him to stay indoors.
The area around the mall was quickly sealed off as a dozen or so police vehicles converged on the scene. Cobden Road between Elmira Drive and Iris Street was blocked to traffic. Residents in nearby homes were told to remain inside.
A vehicle was seized and several people, including a woman, were taken into custody for questioning.
“We are actively looking for witnesses who may have seen something,” said McDade. “We have a lot people who were at the (Shifa Restaurant), plus other restaurants and bars in the mall.”
Shifa Restaurant, Ottawa - Photo Google Maps
However, McDade emphasized that as of Sunday night police had no particular suspect and no one had been arrested.
“Everything is very preliminary right now. We’re conducting a lot of interviews to see who was responsible (for the shooting) and to establish who we are looking for.”
One of the men in custody is being represented by defence lawyer Lorne Goldstein, who went to the police station Sunday night and drove by the crime scene.
Given these circumstances, the mall and Cobden Road between Elmira and Iris were to be closed until police finished their interviews, McDade said.
“We’ll be at the scene for some time.”
The Inspector declined to speculate on any possible the motives for the shootings, or whether they were gang-related.
Nearly three weeks ago, Ottawa’s first homicide of 2016 had all the appearances of being connected to gangs.
Mohamed Najdi, 28, a Crips gang member well-known to police, was shot in the back multiple times in parking lot at Yule Manor Co-operative Homes on Claremont Drive, near St. Laurent Boulevard and Hemlock Road, in the Manor Park area.