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A resident at a northeast London public housing complex says he saw two men arguing before one pulled out a handgun and opened fire on the other.
One man was taken to hospital with critical injuries after shots were fired at a townhouse complex on Boullee Street, north of Cheapside Street, about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, police said. Police have not released the name of the injured man.
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One complex resident, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said he was in the parking lot when he saw two men arguing less than 10 metres away.
“The other guy called him, like, a chicken and a snitch,” the resident said Thursday of the shooting victim.
The man on the receiving end of the insults pulled a handgun from a satchel-style bag and fired it multiple times at the other man.
“I ducked,” the witness said, adding he didn’t see where the victim or shooter fled.
The shooting, the city’s fifth case of gunfire this year, left more than a half dozen bullet holes in the front door of one of the units.
Ronnie Chisholm said he was visiting a friend inside that unit when he heard what he thought was someone banging on the front door.
“The bullets were knocking at the door,” Chisholm said, noting several adults and one child were inside at the time.
Chisholm, 67, said he soon saw a bloodied man behind the townhouse.
Drops of blood were visible from near the entrance of the bullet-riddled home to the back of the unit, where large pools of dried blood stained the ground and discarded medical supplies were scattered.
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The Free Press viewed surveillance footage from a nearby unit that showed a man running past, appearing to hold his arm at 4:22 p.m.
No arrests have been made in the case as of Thursday and police renewed their appeal for anyone with information, including surveillance or dash-camera footage, to contact them.
Police described the suspect as a Black man, about six feet tall with long black hair pulled up in a bandana. He was wearing a white T-shirt or tank top and dark-coloured shorts and may have left in a red vehicle, police said.
Anyone with information about the shooting, including security or dash-camera footage, is asked to call London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Two detectives were canvassing the complex, which is operated by London and Middlesex Community Housing, on Thursday while a team of six staffers from the housing authority also were on site.
London and Middlesex Community Housing has increased patrols and is offering on-site supports to residents during the ongoing police investigation, housing authority spokesperson Matt Senechal said.
“LMCH is committed to working with our communities to address serious incidents that impact everyone in the community, including tenants and staff. With over 3,200 units in London and Middlesex County, collaboration with law enforcement, residents, and community members is critical to ensuring community safety,” Senechal wrote in an email.
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