Calgary police are searching for a suspect in connection to a targeted shooting on Wednesday evening and say it appears to be an isolated attack among criminal groups in the city.
At around 7:00 p.m., police responded to the Village Square Calgary Co-op, in the 2500 block of 52 Street N.E., following reports of gunfire.
According to police, two people were inside a parked car near the grocery store's gas station when shots were fired at the vehicle. The 24-year-old man in the driver's seat suffered wounds to his arm .
“There is some indication that there’s a connection to the News Year’s Day shooting in Rundle where a house was hit by a drive-by shooting,” said A/Insp. Steve Drennan of the Organized Crime Section.
The victim managed to drive himself from the scene to the Peter Lougheed Centre where he received medical attention and was released. At least one stray bullet struck the entrance doors of the Co-op, but no one inside the busy store was injured.
Police say that gunfire in such a populated area is a major concern. “It’s extremely serious, I mean, anytime gunfire comes in at any point in time,” said Staff Sergeant Paul Magnus with the Calgary Police Service. “It could have hit someone in that Co-op gas station or in the main store. We’ve got rounds flying through the air and could strike someone.”
Police have not identified a suspect, or suspects, in the shooting, but believe the offender was armed with a rifle.
The CPS Guns and Gangs Unit is investigating the shooting and officers are looking through CCTV footage for leads.
“This appears to be very isolated in nature amongst a criminal group that is here in the city and that’s why the Guns and Gang Unit is investigating these series of shootings,” said Drennan. “This was not a random thing. The victim and probably the offender are known to each other, this was definitely a targeted thing.”
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service, 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers.
