Man, 23, charged with attempted murder after shots fired in downtown Kitchener

KITCHENER - Residents of a new highrise condo building heard pop-pop-pop followed by sirens early Saturday morning as gunfire erupted on a nearby street.

We heard seven or eight gunshots and someone was running ... and he was screaming," said Koonj Shah, who watched the action from a balcony on the 10th floor.

Police reached the scene within minutes. Shah saw a man who seemed to be hiding behind a parked car try to scale a chain-metal fence to get away but police caught him. Then he saw paramedics bundle someone into an ambulance.

He was strapped in the stretcher," he said.

It happened after 1 a.m. on Walter Street in the west end of downtown Kitchener. Waterloo Regional Police were still on the scene almost 12 hours later after blocking off the street between Agnes Street and Wellington Street North.

A Kitchener man, 23, was found at the scene with injuries and was taken to a hospital, police report. Another man, 23, from Stoney Creek was arrested and charged with attempted murder as well as firearms offences.

The involved individuals are known to one another," police said in a statement. Investigators believe that this was a targeted incident."

I just heard a bunch of loud pops," said Colin Prentice, whose window was open on the 18th floor. It was several shots in a row."

He turned to his girlfriend who said are those gunshots?"

I don't know. I hope not," Prentice said. He wondered if maybe they heard fireworks. But soon they heard sirens.

It's just crazy that it's happening outside," said Prentice. He's more surprised than scared by what went down.

I'm thinking obviously it's not a random thing. It's a confrontation between two people and not scary. Just crazy to see it unfolding right outside," he said.

On Saturday police could be seen opening doors to investigate the inside of a silver sedan parked in a row of cars on Walter Street. Officers also examined a chain-link fence beside the cars.

Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 519-570-9777. Anonymous tips can be provided online to Crime Stoppers or at 1-800-222-8477.

Jeff Outhit is a Waterloo Region-based general assignment reporter for The Record. Reach him via email: jouthit@therecord.com