Police investigating Ottawa's 1st shootings of the year

Police are investigating two shootings that happened on the first day of the new year.

A 44-year-oldman was shot near the corner of Bronson Avenue and Somerset Street West at around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The victim was taken to hospital and is in serious but stable condition, according to paramedics.

The shooting happened following a "dispute," police said.

"It was not a random person going down the street shooting people. It would be considered a targeted shooting," said Ottawa Police Service spokesperson Const. Amy Gagnon.

Police say a possibleconnection between the shooter and victim is not yet known.

No arrests have been made but police are looking for a suspect described as a man in his 40s. According to video surveillance footage, the man was wearing a grey and black hoodie with a jean shirt underneath, blue jeans and black and white shoes at the time of the incident.

Officers are asking the public to contact police if they have any information.

"They may have seen something happen, or two people talking. They may have seen somebody leave the area," Gagnon said."So it's when all those pieces of the puzzle get put together that we have an image and an understanding of what actually happened."

Some locals said they saw police using flashlights to search garbage bins in the area for a possible weapon.

Nothing has been found so far, Gagnon said, adding that it's a priority to track downoutstanding weapons in case they could be used again.

Incident followed possible shooting earlier in the day

Early Wednesday morning, police also responded to multiple reports of a shot fired inside a house on Willow Creek Circle near Barrhaven.

The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m., according to police.

Three people were arrested and later released. Police are not looking for any further suspects, but are encouraging witnesses to reach out.

"We are looking to speak with any witnesses or anyone that would have any information about what actually transpired and what happened in the early hours of that morning," Gagnon said.

Neighbours told CBC News that the house was a rental property that usually hosted families. Workers cleaning the home said that the property was used for short- and long-term rentals.

An investigationis underway.

Number of shootings went down in 2019

The two incidents are the first shootingsin Ottawa in 2020 and comes on the heels of a slight decrease in shootings in the capital in 2019.

Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly tweeted about the two shootings on Thursday, stating thatpolice will be developing newstrategiesthis yearto address violent crime.

Anyone with information regarding either incident is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service guns and gangs unit at 613-236-1222, ext.5050.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.