Homicide unit investigating man's death after early morning shooting in southeast Calgary bar
The restaurant was closed at the time of the shooting and it's unclear why anyone was inside
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In yet another recent example of gun violence, Calgary homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred inside a Radisson Heights bar early Sunday morning.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 4:40 a.m. in the Ambassador Restaurant and Bar on 17th Avenue S.E., arriving to find an adult man suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics and police officers attended to the victim at the scene, but after brief resuscitation attempts, he was pronounced dead.
The restaurant was closed at the time of the shooting and it’s unclear why anyone was inside.
Police say witnesses reported hearing gunshots before seeing a man flee the scene. The suspect is described as a man in his 30s, six feet two inches tall, with a medium build and short black hair. Investigators are speaking with multiple witnesses and looking for security camera footage from the area.
Multiple residents nearby said they were awakened by a loud bang early Sunday. They noted that the alley behind the Ambassador is often home to bar fights and other violent incidents.
Nicholas Carlson said he went outside after hearing the shot to find everyone “screaming and hollering” followed quickly by a large police response.
“I immediately just went into panic mode. It’s a common occurrence here. Just a few weeks ago, there was another shooting (in the area) … it’s just too close for comfort.”
Carlson, who moved in across the street from the restaurant just four months ago, said he’s considering a move after recent violence in the area.
“A lot of the neighbourhood people are on edge,” he said. “The people that are good here are socializing with each other … we’re sick of this. It’s got to stop.
“I wouldn’t call this home; it’s just a house in a battlefield. It’s brutal. I wouldn’t suggest moving here.”
The incident is the latest example of ballooning gun violence across Calgary this year, coming days after a Thursday shooting in the city’s southwest left 31-year-old Nakita Baron dead and her husband clinging to life in hospital.
On Wednesday, police said there have been 91 shootings in Calgary so far this year — five short of the city’s total of 96 in all of 2021. By the same time last year, there had been 52 shootings in the city. Only about a quarter of the shootings this year have been tied to gangs or organized crime, with most of them involving personal disputes, road rage, drugs or accidental discharge.
Police have not said whether the Sunday morning shooting is believed to be related to organized crime.
Mount Royal University criminologist Doug King stopped short of calling the increase in gun violence a “spike,” given last year’s numbers were likely diminished by continued COVID restrictions. But he said firearm use is on an upward trend, one that’s seeped north from the United States after emerging in that country more than two years ago.
“It definitely isn’t just a Calgary phenomenon; it’s a North American phenomenon,” said King.
To combat the rise in gun use, the federal government enacted a temporary ban on the import of handguns into Canada, which came into effect at the end of last week. The move is meant as a stop-gap before politicians debate permanent legislation on a handgun freeze this fall.
King said the ban will likely have no impact on the number of shootings seen in cities across the country.
“It’s very likely that most of the gun violence that we’re seeing in Calgary is actually the product of illegal handguns that have been smuggled into the country,” he said. “The firearms ban that the federal government is proposing does not impact that. Criminals do not register their firearms.”
What could make a dent, however, is the proposed legislation that’s still on the floor of the House of Commons, which would see more funds go to the prevention of illegal guns crossing the border.
“More people at the border, more intelligence collecting and those kinds of things — that, if it’s funded properly, could have eventually some impact,” said King.
“But again, if you want to tackle gun violence in Canada and in Calgary, you have to crack down on illegal firearms that are in the hands of criminals.”
Alison Karim-McSwiney, executive director of the International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone, said a boost to policing is needed in the Forest Lawn and Radisson Heights neighbourhoods to ensure the safety of residents and businesses.
“They really are the finest officers in the city, but they are supremely understaffed in our district,” she said. “We hired our own security team to counteract all these issues to help in the interim because there’s just not enough staff in District 4.
“I also think that this area has been disproportionately underrepresented and underserved compared to other parts of the city and that we really don’t have many people who advocate for the safety of our businesses and residents in our ward.”
Karim-McSwiney said the community is “oversubscribed” on things like transitional shelters and other resources for people struggling with homelessness or substance use. She said those types of services are being “pushed” into the area, contributing to the issues the community is facing.
“(The Forest Lawn area) really is a wonderful, racially diverse, vibrant, working-class neighbourhood,” she said. “People in our area deserve to live and work safely as they enjoy in other parts of the city. And currently, that’s been something that has not been happening.”
The medical examiner could be seen removing the body from the back of the restaurant around 11:30 a.m. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting, or who was in the area at the time of the incident, is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
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