A resident of a Halifax homeless encampment says he is increasingly concerned about the lack of security at a designated tent site as police investigate a weekend shooting.
Andrew Goodsell says he was actually interviewing an online radio show about camp safety when he heard gunshots in the distance.
“I heard four loud bangs and then a few minutes later you heard tons of sirens and then the cops showed up and said there was a shooting and they were investigating it,” he said.
Halifax Regional Police (HRP) say they were called to the Lower Flynn Park encampment, located along Quinpool Road, around 9:55 a.m. Sunday.
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They found A 30-year-old man was shot and suffered life-threatening injuries.
Police say they do not believe the shooting was random and are seeking the public's help.
“The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made at this time, but I would like to reiterate that we are looking for any member of the public who has information or dashcam footage in the area to contact Halifax Police,” said HRP spokesperson Const. Martin Cromwell said.
Goodsell, who lives at the park with his dog Dusty, said he is concerned about safety as more tents continue to pop up and wishes the municipality would beef up security.
“When you have a group of people who have potential mental health issues and we're all out on the streets, winter is coming, times get really tough,” he said.
“I feel like they're actually putting us in danger rather than preventing it.”
Global News contacted the Halifax Regional Municipality about security measures at designated camp sites, but staff declined to comment, citing the ongoing police investigation.
Police say there is no immediate threat to the public at this time, but for those living on site, that assessment is of little comfort.
“There's no safety here, right? There's no safety in the camp. So I guess the only thing I'd like to add is, couldn't we find some sense of safety?” Goodsell said.
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