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05-09-2023
OTTAWA: Ottawa police are investigating a Saturday night shooting at a wedding reception that left two Toronto men dead and injured six others.
Acting Duty Insp. Amy Bond said police responded to reports of gunfire at about 10:21 p.m. Saturday in the city’s south end.
The victims were attending a reception at the Infinity Convention Centre on the 2900 block of Gibford Drive, off Hunt Club Road near the Ottawa International Airport.
Four hours after the reported shots, police stated there were no further threats to public safety.
The two victims were identified Sunday afternoon as 26-year-old Said Mohamed Ali and 29-year-old Abdishakur Abdi-Dahir, both from Toronto.
Ottawa police had made no arrests as of Sunday afternoon and did not have a description of any suspects.
“This violence is tragic. It’s unacceptable,” Bond said. “It’s disturbing for our entire community.”
The investigation is in its early stages and there is no information so far to indicate whether there was “any specific community targeted,” Bond said, adding police currently have no information to suggest the shooting should be investigated as a hate crime.
“All investigative angles are being explored,” police said in their Sunday afternoon media release. “At this stage, there is no indication that this was a hate-motivated shooting.”
Ottawa paramedic spokesman Marc-Antoine Deschamps said the six people who were injured were not in life-threatening condition.
Saturday night’s shooting “cannot be described as anything less than a tragedy,” wrote Anu Sohal, a representative with the convention centre, in an email to Radio-Canada.
“Our hearts break for the victims and their families,” Sohal wrote.
“The members of the Infinity Convention Centre are actively assisting local authorities and their investigation. No other comments will be provided while the investigation is ongoing.”
Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley, who represents the area, called the news “terrible.”
“This has no place in our community,” she said. “There is no tolerance for this kind of violence, and I hope that those involved and those who may know something share with police. And that we are able to solve this quickly.” (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
