Shooter sought by Ottawa police after 1 killed, 3 injured at downtown Airbnb

Police are hunting for a suspect after a man was killed and three others — including a 15-year-old boy — were seriously injured in a Wednesday morning shooting at a downtown Ottawa home listed on Airbnb.

Manyok Akol, 18, of Ottawa died in the shooting at the Gilmour Street home, the Ottawa Police Service said Wednesday evening. 

Two other young men, aged 19 and 20, and the teen boy were in hospital in serious condition, police said.

Paramedics said they were called to the area of Gilmour and Kent streets, about a kilometre south of Parliament Hill, around 7:30 a.m. ET.

"Every type of [emergency] vehicle pulled up, officers taped off the area — nobody was allowed to walk through," said Kacey Griffiths, who lives on the block of Gilmour Street where the shooting occurred.

"I ran to my balcony to see what was going on, and I saw them go into the house and make sure the area was safe. They came out with weapons down. [Then] three ambulances showed up … three people came out on stretchers, [looking] very injured."

'Targeted shooting'

As of 6:45 p.m. ET, police had still not announced any arrests. The area is considered secure, however, and police say there is no active shooter.

The teenager was taken to the children's hospital CHEO, according to a hospital spokesperson.

"It's our understanding that the parties at the location, at the address, were known to each other," said Ottawa Police Service deputy Chief Uday Jaswal Wednesday afternoon.

"Therefore, we're [saying] that this was a targeted shooting."

Jaswal also said the home where the shooting took place had been used as a short-term rental — and Airbnb later confirmed it was a property listed on their site.

In a statement, Airbnb spokesperson Ben Breit confirmed the home was being rented yesterday.

He said Airbnb had removed the booking guest from its platform and deactivated listings associated with the Gilmour Street address.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Gun violence is abhorrent, and our hearts go out to all who have been impacted. We are in close touch with the city and stand ready to support Ottawa Police Services with their investigation," Breit wrote.

Jaswal said Ottawa police have investigated a number of recent shootings at short-term rentals and would be taking a closer look at how to prevent those type of incidents.

"It is something that we have noticed. It is something we're monitoring," he said.

Gilmour Street was closed between Kent and Lyon streets. It reopened at around 7 p.m.

The force is still asking people to avoid the area, and its major crime unit is investigating.

Insp. Francois D'Aoust said they don't have a description of the suspect and officers were going door-to-door in the area Wednesday to gather more information.

Police said their investigation has also confirmed the shooting has nothing to do with national security.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said in a tweet he had been briefed on the situation and thanked first responders.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted he had spoken with Watson about the shooting. Trudeau said his "heart goes out to everyone affected."

After the shooting, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, which operates French Catholic schools in the Ottawa area, placed four nearby schools in secure mode, meaning students were kept in classrooms and parents needed to check with the office to pick up their children.

That was lifted later in the morning.

No other local school boards said they'd taken these types of precautions.