Two people arrested in Ottawa mall shooting released without charge

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OTTAWA — Police say a Boxing Day shooting at a west-end Ottawa outlet mall was a targeted attack involving members of the same gang.

Staff-Sgt. Ken Bryden of the guns and gangs unit says officers are seeking two “persons of interest” in Friday’s attack at the Tanger Outlets mall, and one of them may be the shooter.

He says the victim, a man in his early 20s, has been released from hospital after being shot in the foot.

Two men were arrested at the scene and released without charges.

Bryden says all five are affiliated with the Crips street gang.

He says the victim is being “extremely unco-operative” with investigators, who are also interviewing witnesses and reviewing security footage.

The mall reopened Saturday after closing early the previous day to give store employees a chance to recover.

Bryden said investigators are working to identify the gunman and figure out a motive.

“As far as who shot who, we don’t know,” he said.

A shell casing from a .40-calibre handgun has been recovered and will be checked for prints, Bryden said.

There’s been an uptick in the number of shootings in Ottawa this year — more than 40 so far. Bryden linked the gun violence to street crime.

“Given the nature of gang activity, the gang world and how they operate and what they’re into, these acts of violence are essentially the end result of what they do. This one is no different. The unfortunate part is that it happened where it did on the day that it did.”