Authorities appeal for information after ‘indiscriminate’ gunfire kills two, injures three
The Somerset community is reeling after gunfire erupted at Legends bar, killing a 33-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, and injuring three others.
The victims have yet to be named.
According to police, four individuals on motorcycles arrived at the bar around 10:30 pm last night and opened fire inside, where 14 patrons were socialising.
Of the three injured survivors, one has been discharged from hospital, and the others suffered non-life threatening injuries but one is said to be more critical.
Police believe it was a targeted attack, but say shots were fired “indiscriminately” at customers.
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Smith of the Serious Crime Unit confirmed they’re searching for four male suspects.
“We believe that those men were two up on a motorcycle that travelled to the Legends Sports Bar and they departed on the same motorcycles and they headed in what we believe is a westerly direction,” said DCI Smith. “This particular incident is disturbing to us because shots were fired, what we believe were indiscriminately at those inside of the club.”
He continued, “We do know and there is some information that is coming to our attention that these particular motorcycles were circling the western area, somewhere in the region of about 10 pm that night so if you were out and about and you saw a bike that driving around the Somerset area somewhat suspicious, something that raised your alarm bells – those are critical to our lines of inquiry.”
Commissioner of Police Darrin Simons said the Forensic Support Unit recovered several shell casings from the scene, and the digital forensics team is reviewing CCTV, which has produced “valuable leads.”
However, police continue to appeal for more information.
“This senseless violence tears at the fabric of our community and our way of life,” said Commissioner Simons. “I want to assure you that we’ve deployed all available resources to this investigation to bring calm. Somerset, you are a tight-knit community – you know each other and you look after each other – and I’m specifically asking you to help us bring justice to those taken far too soon.”
Commissioner Simons said family liaison officers have been assigned to support the victims’ loved ones.
He assured the public that efforts are underway to prevent further violence, noting that a “reassuring” police presence will be visible in the west end as search teams pursue leads and patrols use stop-and-search powers.
“All the indications point that this is a targeted attack,” Commissioner Simons stated. “These things don’t happen randomly, right? So, there’s tensions that give rise to that and I just want to reassure the community that this just isn’t a random incident and that there’s sources of tension that would have contributed to this and we’re working from an investigative perspective to identify those sources of tension and bring a measure of calm. So, our patrols are not just random when you’re going to see us out, they’re going to be directed in areas where we think reprisals make take place.”
If you were in the Somerset Road area between 10 and 10:45 pm last night and have any information, CCTV, or cell phone footage – no matter how small – police urge you to call 247-1739.
You can also contact Detective Chief Inspector Derricka Burns at 717-0921, speak to a police officer you trust, or call the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477.
