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One man is dead following a shooting in the parking lot of the North Hill Co-op in the city’s northeast on Monday.
According to a news release, officers responded to numerous reports of shots fired at 520 16 Ave. N.E. just before 8 p.m.
Upon arrival, police said two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds — one inside the store and the other outside. Both were transported to Foothills Medical Centre in life-threatening condition.
One man has since died, while the other has been upgraded to stable condition and is expected to undergo surgery on Tuesday, police said.
Police believe shooting was targeted
According to police, three suspects fled the area prior to their arrival and no one is in custody at this time. Investigators believe the shooting was targeted and said there is no active risk to the public.
“Obviously, we are incredibly concerned that this occurred in broad daylight in a grocery store while people were … going about their business, grocery shopping,” said Duty Inspector Darren Smith at a press conference on site, late Monday night.
“Dozens and dozens of people could’ve been hurt in this incident,” he said. “No shooting is acceptable, but to do something like this in the middle of the day puts far too great a risk on public safety.”
The deceased victim was known to police, Smith said. It has not been determined whether the second victim was connected to the deceased.
Smith said a vehicle was seen leaving the area and police will be looking at the store’s CCTV footage, adding that several witnesses are also being interviewed by the Calgary Police Service’s homicide unit which has taken over the investigation.
The North Hill Co-op was placed into lockdown to keep staff and customers safe, police said. The lockdown has since been lifted.
‘I heard the shots’
Alex Boisselle said he was inside the store holding groceries when the shooting occurred.
“I heard the shots. The door opened. This guy came running in with a bleeding foot and he’s saying, you know, ‘I’ve been shot. I’ve been shot,'” Boisselle recounted.
He said a bystander helped the man inside the store, while outside, the other victim could be seen lying in a “huge pool of blood.”
Police said the investigation is ongoing and urged the public to stay away from the area as they assess the scene.
