A man who arrived at a city hospital suffering from a gunshot wound has told police he has no idea who shot him, raising the possibility of a random attack.
Police Sgt. Patrick Murphy said yesterday that the victim, a 25-year-old city man, arrived at the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper right thigh between 7:30 and 8 p.m. on April 1, claiming no knowledge of his assailant or any reason why someone would target him.
“He’s telling us that he has no idea who shot him. We have no indication he was being targeted and he had no idea who would shoot him. He said he had no enemies and has never been in trouble,” Murphy said.
The victim was walking at the Elmvale Plaza near St. Laurent Boulevard and Smyth Road when he was shot. While Murphy said there’s always a possibility it could have been a random attack, he cautioned against raising a public alarm.
The victim told police that after he was shot, he flagged down a passing car, which drove him to the hospital.
The man is in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries. Murphy said the man will remain in hospital for about a week.
No weapon was recovered and the motive of the shooting is still unknown.
“We’re looking for any assistance the public can give,” Murphy said.
Anyone with information can contact the Ottawa Police Service East Investigations Section at 613-236-1222, ext. 3566, or Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477 (TIPS).
–tracey.tong@metronews.ca
