Chief says Eskasoni man injured in shooting

The chief of Eskasoni First Nation says a local man has been wounded in a shooting that locked down the community Monday morning.

Eskasoni RCMP responded to a call of a shooting around 10:25 p.m. Sunday at a home on Mountainview Drive in the Cape Breton Mi'kmaw community, according to a release.

 A 53-year-old man was wounded and taken to hospital after someone shot him through a window, police said. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries.  

Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny lives just eight houses away from the shooting scene, and said he was one of the first people to arrive. He drove the injured man to a nearby ambulance station.

Denny said the victim is Leonard Denny, a family member and the CEO of the local Crane Cove Seafoods. 

About two hours later, the RCMP responded to a second report of shots fired in the community. They were initially concerned that the two incidents were connected, and residents were asked to stay in their homes with doors locked.

But police found no evidence of this second incident. Just before 8 a.m., RCMP tweeted that they believe this was an isolated shooting.

Spokesperson Cpl. Mark Skinner said there was "no longer a risk to the public," and people could now leave their homes.

Chief Denny posted on social media early Monday morning that the shooting happened on Mountainview Drive, and people should stay away from that area. This information also went out via the community's Everbridge alert system.

Denny also said that, "for precautionary reasons," all businesses under the umbrella of the band would be closed on Monday.

This includes all schools, the band office, health centre, Crane Cove Seafoods, and fitness centre.

There was a heavy police presence in the area throughout the day on Monday, including police dog services and forensic identification.

Police are continuing to search for the suspect, and do not believe that this was a random incident.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to immediately contact police at (902) 379-2822. Anonymous tips can also be made to Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), crimestoppers.ns.ca, or the P3 Tips App.