2 women dead, man in custody after double homicide on McCarthy Road

Two women are dead and one man is in custody as police investigate a double homicide that happened Friday night in south Ottawa.

Police were called to a home on McCarthy Road near Paul AnkaDriveshortly before 9 p.m. after two women were found dead.

CBC News has confirmed that the two women, 32-year-old Asma Noor and 29-year-old Nasiba Noor,were sisters from the city's Somali community.

One man was later arrested near a set of nearby railroad tracks, said Duty Insp. John Medeiros.

"There's only one person in custody for this offence, at this point in time. I don't believe we're looking for anyone else," Medeiros told CBC News.

Forensic investigators were still on scene Saturday afternoon photographingand collecting evidence a task that was made "a little bit difficult" because of the significant morning snowfall,Medeirossaid.

The name of the man in custody have not been released.

"All night long, there was a police car outside my house with the lights on," said GuendyMathurin, who lives near the scene of the homicide.

"It was pretty scary. Because the neighbourhood used to be a little bit safer you know?" he said. "It just seems to be going downhill."

2016 sees spike in homicides

The deaths are the city's 23rd and 24th homicides of 2016.

"There seems to be a lot more shootings now," said Cynthia Grant, who was walking through the neighourhood Saturday afternoon. "That's not the Ottawathat I know."

The Ottawa Police Service is currently conducting a review of its historical homicide data, but the last time Ottawa saw this many homicides in a single year was likely 1995 when the number of homicides was somewhere between 23 and 25.

The number of homicides in a given year has risen above 16 only twice in the past 32 years.

Ottawa police have investigated an average of 10 homicides per year in the past 32 years, but the rate can vary wildly: there were only two homicides in 1998 and there have been 24 so far this year.

The force'smajor crimeunitis investigating Friday's double homicide. Police are asking anyone with information about the investigation to contact them.