Man shot multiple times in parking lot of Calgary restaurant

Calgary police say a man was shot several times in the parking lot of a Denny's restaurant in the community of Greenview on Monday, the third targetted shooting in the city in four days.

It happened at the location in the 5000 block of Fourth Street N.E. at 9:50 p.m.

Police say the victim and offender fled before officers got there, but the male victim, in his 30s, was found shortly after. 

He was taken to the Foothills Medical Centre in serious but stable condition, where he remains. 

Police believe a burnt-out white sedan found less than a kilometre away is connected to the shooting, and are in the process of searching for suspects.

The shooting is believed to be targetted and related to organized crime. 

There have been 67 shootings in Calgary so far this year, which police say is a 26 per cent decrease from this time last year. 

Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist and professor at Mount Royal University, says the drop shows what police are doing to address gun violence is working, but more can always be done. 

"We do need to continue to analyze and try to understand what are the root causes feeding violence that we’re seeing in this post-pandemic era, because it is unique," Sundberg said.

"It’s important that we, as a community, continue to be vigilant and that we do what we need to do and assist the police if we have information."

Supt. Cory Dayley with the Calgary Police Service told reporters on Monday that about a quarter of the city’s shootings are linked to organized crime. 

"The traditional organized crime landscape is always shifting now. It’s heavily associated to the drug trade here in Calgary, as it is in most places in the world, and with that brings violent crime," he said. 

Over the weekend, there were two targeted shootings outside busy shopping centres. 

On Monday, police identified the victim of a fatal shooting near Market Mall on Saturday as 23-year-old Danny Truong, a man who was known to police. His homicide marks the city’s ninth shooting death this year. 

Officers were also called to the Deerfoot City shopping centre on Friday after two people were hurt in another shooting.

No arrests have been made in those incidents and police say they are not connected.

"What gang group they would be associated with is still under investigation, and what association they have to any higher-level organized crime is still being delved into," Dayley said referring to both weekend shootings. 

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to come forward to police.