3 suspects sought by police after 5 shot outside bowling alley in Windsor, Ont.
Ward 7 Coun. Jeewen Gill says weekend shooting has left people in his area fearful
Police in Windsor, Ont., are looking for three men in relation to a weekend shooting outside a bowling alley that left five people wounded.
The suspects are considered armed and dangerous, said police, who issued a media release Monday that included a photo of one of them.
The suspects are described as:
- A white male about 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds, a small build with long blond hair and brown eyes.
- A while male about 5-foot-10, about 140 pounds with a slender build, long blond hair and blue eyes.
- A Hispanic male about 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-5 wearing a brown coat with black sleeves, a grey hoodie, a black face mask and a blue baseball hat with "LA" in white letters.
A 2004 Ford Explorer SUV truck that police say was the suspect vehicle was seized by officers on Sunday.
Someone shot into a crowd of about 20 to 25 people during a fight outside the business at about 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, said police. They initially said they were looking for one suspect.
The five men were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Windsor Regional Hospital on Monday, all were admitted Saturday and four were discharged the same day. The fifth was discharged over the weekend.
Ward 7 Coun. Jeewen Gill said it's expected more police will be in the Forest Glade area where the shooting took place.
"It was shocking and disturbing to me, and also to the residents of this ward along with the City of Windsor, so we are all concerned of these types of incidents," Gill said Monday morning on CBC's Windsor Morning.
Gill said he spoke with Windsor police's acting chief, Jason Bellaire, over the weekend, and was told there will be a heavier police presence in the area as the investigation continues.
"It is difficult. People are getting out a little bit more [now pandemic restrictions have loosened] and trying to enjoy and do other activities, but nobody knows if anybody is carrying a gun in these places," said Gill.
"This is what we have to be more concerned for. Guns are coming on the road and reaching out to these kids or these people, and we have to make a plan to stop this."
The co-owner of Super Bowl Lanes, Cory Clarkson, told CBC News on Monday that he's never seen this kind of violence at the business.
"It's very unfortunate this happened," said Clarkson. "We want to make sure everyone is OK."
Clarkson said he's working with police as they investigate the shooting.
Gill said the city and police are co-ordinating with government partners to develop a plan. He said he's lived in the Forest Glade community for 20 years, and he and his neighbours are shocked by the incident.
Many in the community are not feeling confident about leaving their homes, Gill said.
"Whenever anybody has a gun, first of all why do you need a gun for? This is not a place we're living where you need a gun."
In a statement released Saturday, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens offered his best wishes to those who were injured.
"After two years of pandemic restrictions, Windsor residents are craving an opportunity to socialize with friends and neighbours, and visiting a local bowling alley should be among the safest venues to do so," Dilkens said.
"I'm grateful for the swift response of the Windsor police and first responders, and hope the perpetrator is brought to swift justice."
The mayor was touring parts of the city with Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on Monday.
Mendicino visited Windsor after the federal government tabled its budget Thursday.
He said the government has more work to do when it comes to countering gun and drug traffic coming across the U.S. border and into Canada.
Greg Lemay, a community advocate and past council candidate, said police are doing a good job but they can't be everywhere.
"It's pretty disheartening. It's obviously a problem that Ward 7 has been kind of the rise here in terms of crime, whether it's petty crime or or serious crime," he said.
Lemay, who intends to run in the next municipal election, said he believes crime is underreported in the neighbourhood.
For now, he's leading a push for more neighbourhood watch patrols, building off the eight already active in Forest Glade. He believes they would help shed light on the level of crime and ultimately lead to an increased police presence.
"Would this have prevented what happened on Saturday? No, I'm not that crazy. But at the end of the day ... if you follow the Forest Glade groups and you follow along and just listen to the residents, there's a lot of things that are taking place in Forest Glade and Ward 7, and I'm not sure why it's happening there."
At least 13 incidents involved offensive weapons
CBC News has learned that in the area of Forest Glade and the nearby intersection of Tecumseh Road East and Lauzon Parkway, 13 incidents involving offensive weapons have been reported by police from April 1, 2021 until today. That's according to open source data published by the Windsor Police Service.
Of those incidents, included is a fatal shooting of a 23-year-old in December 2021. Police say the victim and the accused were known to each other.
A fatal stabbing, which was not included in the reports on the 13 offensive-weapons incidents, also happened in the area of Sycamore Drive in June 2021. According to police, a 20-year-old London, Ont., resident was stabbed after an alleged fight, and later died in hospital. Police said the accused and the victim were known to one another.
Across Windsor, the data tool shows a total of 251 offensive weapons incidents for the same time period.
