A man, believed to be in his early twenties, is dead following a late Saturday afternoon shooting inside a business.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m., emergency crews responded to Johnny Scissorhands Barbershop in a strip mall in the 5100 block of 20 Avenue Southeast after diners at a neighbouring restaurant were told someone had been shot.

According to witnesses, the victim had been shot multiple times in the head, neck and torso.

“I just saw the lady run to the restaurant where we were having supper and she said ‘call the cops, call the cops’ and ‘he got shot’,” said Mike, who did not want to disclose his last name. “We didn’t understand because she was talking fast and barely talking, it was hard on her.”

“I ran from the restaurant to the barber shop and then I saw this dead body on the floor.”

Officers located the injured shooting victim within the shop and attempted to resuscitate the man but their efforts were in vain.

Police believe a man entered the business and engaged a customer in conversation before pulling a gun and firing shots. The shooting suspect is believed to have fled the scene in a silver SUV.

Garmian Sohrabi’s plans to visit the restaurant in the strip mall were altered by the crime scene tape. He says the violence, sadly, comes as no surprise.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re living in the city, right now, at the moment, anywhere could be dangerous,” said Sohrabi.

Police have not released the identity of the deceased or descriptions of any possible suspects. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Investigators suspect Saturday's shooting is tied to an ongoing dispute between gangs involved in the drug trade. The deceased is known to police.

Anyone with information about the fatal shooting is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service, 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers.