Man recounts moment friend was shot in downtown Halifax

A Halifax man is recounting the moments leading up to his friend getting shot in the leg early Sunday morning on Gottingen Street.

Al Morris told CBC News he and his friend, whom he declined to name,were walking home when they saw a fight break out. They were walking on Portland Place, close to the corner of Gottingen Street, when shots were fired.

"And then the fight started to spill out onto the street around us. And some guy came running up in a mask with a gun and before we knew it, there were shots being fired and we sort of just ran and hid behind cars," Morris said.

Morris said everyone on the street scattered after hearing the shots. He thennoticed his friend had been shot. He got him away from the fight and called 911. He said heput a belt around his friend'sleg to stop the bleeding.

"He was definitely in shock. He kind of didn't seem to realize that his leg was bleeding, which is wild," Morris said.

Morris said his friend was taken to hospital and was discharged around 6 a.m.

Friend on the mend

"He seems to be on his way to mending now," Morris said.

Halifax Regional Police said in a news release that another person was taken to hospital with a non-life threatening injuryin addition to Morris's friend. That person's name has also not been made public.

Police said they don't believe the shooting was random, but it's unclear who the gunman was targeting. They think more than one person was involved and that thesuspects could have leftthe scene in a black GMC SUV.

In an interview with CBC News, Const.John MacLeodsaid gunfire in the community is a huge concern.

"Any time there is information in relation to gunfire or illegal gun activity, we would ask the public to contact us with that information so we can investigate,"MacLeod said.

Morris, who grew up in Halifax but had previously been living in Chicago, said he returned to Nova Scotia because it "seemed like a nice quiet place to come home to."

While he said the weekend shooting was "a little startling," he still feels "pretty safe and comfortable."