Two weekend shootings near Uniacke Square were linked, police say.
But so far no one is talking.
Halifax Regional Police say the first shots rang out around 6:30 p.m. on Friday near Uniacke Street. Shortly afterwards, two men in their 20s appeared at the QEII Health Sciences Centre with serious gunshot wounds. One man was shot in the leg, the other in the abdomen.
The next night, around 10 p.m., five more shots were heard around Olympic Court and Sunrise Walk. Officers were nearby and arrived within minutes, but didn’t see who fired the shots. No victims were found. Several people were arrested but later released.
Police have linked the two incidents, but say they can’t make any arrests because the victims and witnesses aren’t talking.
“We don’t know the motive of why the shootings took place. We just have a very strong idea who’s doing the shooting and that they’re linked,” said Staff Sgt. Darrell Gaudet.
“But without co-operation from the victim, without asking the public to give us some information — because people out there know who shot that gun — but for different reasons they’re not letting us know.”
Resident Cindy Hughes saw Saturday’s commotion from her back window. She said more than a dozen people were standing and yelling as 15 to 20 officers searched the scene. She heard one woman yelling, “That’s my brother that got shot.”
Hughes said she likes living in the area, but takes precautions.
“After like nine o’clock you’ll see the same people out on the corners doing the same things that they do every day, and that’s the things you need to stay away from,” she said.
“If you’re going to live down here, you have to be street smart.”
Tally
The two incidents mark the fifth and sixth shootings in HRM since March 22.
