One dead after police respond to report of person with knife in ByWard Market area

According to the Ottawa police, officers responded to a 911 call about a person with a knife at about 2:10 p.m. in the area around Sussex Drive and St. Patrick Street.

Published Jun 25, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 2 minute read

St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

One person is dead after sustaining a gunshot wound in the ByWard Market area Sunday.

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Details were few soon after the incident, and the age and sex of the individual had not been released.

According to the Ottawa police, officers responded to a 911 call about a person with a knife at about 2:10 p.m. in the area around Sussex Drive and St. Patrick Street.

“During the response one person was shot,” said police. “The individual was transported to hospital by paramedics.”

A man who lives on St. Patrick, who declined to be named, said he was inside when he heard what he thought was fireworks.

St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

The province’s Special Investigations Unit, which investigates incidents involving police officials where there is a serious injury, death, allegation of sexual assault or discharge of a firearm by an officer, has been contacted and has invoked its mandate, police said.

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Once a matter has been referred to the SIU, police can no longer comment.

St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

Paramedics said they were dispatched to a call at about 2:30 p.m. A person had sustained a gunshot wound or wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Sunday afternoon, police had run police tape to prevent pedestrians from walking down St. Patrick between Parent Street and Sussex Drive. An ambulance remained parked in front of 143 St. Patrick, a heritage stone building in the Notre Dame Cathedral compound know as the “archbishop’s palace.” A number of disposable blue gloves littered the street.

Terrence Prendergast, the archbishop emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall, was leaving the cathedral after 5 p.m. mass. He said he no longer lives in the “palace,” but has an office in the building. He was not there when the shooting happened, but as far as he knows, no one in any of the church buildings was threatened or endangered, or has any connection to the incident.

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“One of the priests heard gunshots. That’s all I heard.”

There was also police tape around part of a courtyard behind the Richard Robinson School of Design at the opposite corner of St. Patrick and Sussex, and around the entrance of the Earl of Sussex Pub.

As of Sunday at 5 p.m., a half dozen police vehicles remained at the scene, including a K-9 unit.

No other information was immediately released, with any further updates to come from the SIU.

St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia St. Patrick Street was closed between Sussex Drive and Parent Avenue after a person was pronounced dead after sustaining a gunshot wound on Sunday, June 25, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia