Quick thinking and quick-footedness saved a man who was attacked by gunmen as he took a leisurely walk with his wife and little kids in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday.
The incident happened in the evening in the Ormsby Place neighborhood, leading to multiple individuals frantically dialing the emergency services’ number.
Nearby CCTV camera captured the man pushing a baby pram, with his wife pushing another on the pavement when a red Nissan Rogue approached them from behind.
Two masked individuals emerged from the SUV, with guns drawn. The man looked back in the nick of time and fled, stumbling as he did so.
The assailants began pursuing the man, firing shots at him as they chased him through the green space between Ormsby Crescent and Ormsby Road East.
Eventually, the assailants returned to their vehicle and fled the scene. No one was hurt in the incident.
Acting Insp. Eric Stewart from the Edmonton Police Service’s Organized Crime Branch expressed his concern during a news conference, highlighting the extreme recklessness of the act.
He stated, “What I do want to convey was how absolutely irresponsible this act was, electing to shoot up a neighborhood filled with families in broad daylight. We could easily be talking about life-threatening injuries or homicides here today.”
The police believe the incident was targeted. However, they are currently facing challenges in obtaining cooperation from the victim.
While authorities have ruled out gang involvement. They are urging the public to come forward with any information that could help solve the case, including eyewitness accounts or additional video footage from the area.
The police emphasized that there have been no reports of property damage resulting from the shooting thus far. However, they are requesting residents to carefully inspect their homes, particularly the rear portions facing the Ormsby green space, for any signs of damage, which may sometimes be difficult to detect.
In a notable development, investigators have linked one of the firearms used in Saturday’s incident to a previous shooting earlier this year, which fortunately did not cause any injuries. Acting Insp. Stewart refrained from disclosing further details regarding the previous incident.
This shooting follows a concerning trend of brazen acts of violence in Edmonton. Stewart expressed his dismay, stating, “We’re seeing more of these types of reckless, careless type shooting events. They’re happening more in broad daylight hours, in residential areas where there’s families, potential for kids to be playing. There used to be a bit of a respect level amongst these groups, but clearly by this and what we’ve seen historically in some other events, it seems to be gone out the window.”
Watch the video here.
