Residents of a Cambridge housing complex were in shock this morning after learning one of their neighbours was killed and another man injured last night in the third homicide by gunfire to hit Waterloo region this year.
Waterloo regional police said a 40-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after police found him in one of the units at 230 Lena Cres. suffering from gunshot wounds around 8:30 p.m. A 31-year-old man also at the unit was taken to hospital with a serious but non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Suspects in the shooting remain at-large and police are appealing to members of the public to contact them with any information or video evidence.
A man who lives at the complex and doesn't want his name used due to safety concerns said he went for a walk and returned to his unit shortly before 8 p.m. It was quiet when he put his headphones on to listen to music and play video games. He believes it masked the sound of "two pops" heard by one of his neighbours minutes later.
Outside, residents saw a commotion in front of the unit and emergency services rushing to the scene.
Police located two men suffering from gunshot wounds "close or inside the residence" and began life-saving measures.
Paramedics and firefighters worked on one of the men outside the unit where needle caps and a medical sponge wrapper still littered the pavement this morning.
"Unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased," said Insp. Kyle Lambert during a media conference outside the complex this morning.
The second man was transported to a local hospital.
Lambert said the two men knew each other but wouldn't reveal their relationship.
Police tape surrounds the unit where the shooting happened and detectives from the major crime and forensic units are canvassing the scene, speaking with neighbours who might have witnessed or heard something.
"We may be here for the morning today, potentially tomorrow as well," Lambert said, warning of continued police presence in the area.
Police say they believe the incident is targeted but won't say why. Those details won't immediately be released to protect the integrity of the investigation, Lambert said.
Police are still processing video evidence captured by four home security cameras positioned at various points around the unit where the shooting happened.
Once any suspect or vehicle descriptions are available, that information will be released along with the name of the victim after family members have been notified, Lambert said.
The neighbour said he sees a lot of people going in and out of the unit where the shooting happened and pointed to the townhouse next to his where, last summer, someone entered from outside, walked up the stairs and fired bullets into the door of the upper unit. Nobody was injured in that incident.
He said he still feels safe despite recurring crime and a regular police presence in the neighbourhood.
"It's scary but I still feel safe here," he said.
Lambert said part of the investigation will look at any connection to other crimes in the neighbourhood.
Another resident said he's feared living there for a while. The non-stop police presence is "crazy" for a small complex," he said. "I don't feel safe."
The man, who also didn't feel comfortable giving his name due to safety concerns, pointed to a snow-covered BMW in the parking lot and said he thinks it's a red flag to see "nice cars" like that in a low-income housing complex.
