MONTREAL: Local officials said that two persons were killed and six others injured late Saturday in a gunfire in the parking lot of a reception site in Ottawa, Canada.
Two wedding ceremonies were taking place at the place when shooting erupted outside, sending stunned guests scrambling for protection. “It was complete chaos, there was no direction of where people were moving,” a person told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Deadly Gunfire in Canada
He added that it was quick shots, and then there was blaring, and then there was a silence, and then there were more gunshots, perhaps like 15-16 more rounds that I can memory,” he said.
Ottawa police officials also confirmed that the killed persons were identified as two men, aged 26 and 29, both from the city of Toronto.
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Police further said that US citizens were also among the six injured but that their lives were not in danger. However, the police did not disclose their identities. A police official told AFP that the police are investigating the matter to ascertain the motives of the shooting in the city. The officials added that they had no mark for now to recommend the gunfire was a hate crime.” As per media reports, no one has yet been arrested after the shooting.
Several parts of Canada have seen a marked surge in gun violence in recent years with gradually regular shootings, the Canadian government said. Since 2009, Canada has seen an 81 percent surge in violent gun crime.
