'Is anywhere safe?': shooting marks city's 1st homicide of 2018

A fatal shooting in a residential complex in south Ottawa Tuesday night marks the city's first homicide of 2018.

The shooting happened in a shared courtyard at 3339 PaulAnkaDr.Police arrived at the scene around 8:30 p.m.and found a man suffering from gunshot wounds, according to an Ottawa police spokesperson.

The victim was laterpronounced dead in hospital.He's been identified as TarekDakhil, 23.

Nobody wants this to happen in their neighbourhood.- StaciePrudhomme, neighbour

Police tape surrounded the courtyard Wednesday morning. Numerous people could be seen enteringthe Unit 48, where neighbours told CBCDakhil lived with his family. Some of the visitorstold CBC they were friends of Dakhil's mother. The sound of people weeping could be heard from a nearby parking lot.

Neighbours described hearing multiple gunshots around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Shortly after I got home, I heard this weird popping noise and I assumed it was firecrackers," said Laura Pollard, whose homebacks onto the courtyard.

She said minutes later she saw the victim lying on the ground whilethree or four people gathered around him. One wasattempting to perform first aid, Pollard said.

Neighbours concerned

Neighbours expressed concern that the shooting happened relatively early in the evening, in a neighbourhood full of kids who are often outside playing.

"If it was a summer day or if itwasn't so cold out, there would have been kids outside," said mother Stacie Prudhomme,who has lived in the same complex since April.

Prudhomme said her 9-year-old daughter would only go to sleep once she reassured her thatpolice were outside.

"Nobody wants this to happen in their neighbourhood," she said.

Prudhommesaid she waswatching TV when she heard about 10 gunshots. She said it'sthe second time in as many months that she's heard gunshots outside her home.The first incident occurredin November when shots were fired outside an apartment building acrossPaul AnkaDrive, injuring a 25-year-old man.

"Is anywhere safe in Ottawa to live nowadays?" Prudhomme asked.

Ross Fraser, who lives with his wife and four young children in the same row, said theneighbourhood felt safe up until a few months ago.

"Idon't know why it's happening. There's got to be some kind of reason, but we have no idea what it is," Fraser said.

"I still think this is a good area with good people," Pollard said. "Unfortunately bad things happen, and bad things can happen anywhere."

No arrests have been in Tuesday's fatal shooting. The Ottawa Police Service's major crime unit is investigating.