Some east-end Ottawa residents say they’re concerned for their safety after
a 55-year-old man was killed
on Thursday, marking the second homicide within the 500 block of St-Laurent Boulevard this year.
In February,
a 25-year-old man was killed
inside a high-rise apartment building there. Then on Thursday morning, a man was declared deceased in hospital after being found on the same block with “apparent stab wounds,” police said.
Police had yet to identify a suspect linked to Thursday’s homicide as of Friday and were appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area between 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 2. Blood could be seen on a bus shelter on St-Laurent near Brittany Drive while police investigated Thursday, but police did not confirm where exactly the homicide occurred.
Dawn Kirkbride, who has lived in the area for 18 years, said her 14-year-old daughter was two bus stops away on Thursday around the time that police were called to the scene.
“I feel that I’m always keeping her at home and not giving her the freedom to fly her wings because I don’t want her walking around in the area,” Kirkbride said.
She said her family members spent as much time as they could at a campground outside the city this summer so they could enjoy being outside without worrying for their safety.
“That’s where we spend (the summer) because feel the safest there, and then we come back and work our daily lives, Monday to Friday, and we hope for the best,” Kirkbride said, adding her tight-knit neighbourhood community helped increase her sense of security.
Kandice Baron, who also lives in the area, said she felt scared when she walked outside, adding she would now avoid walking down St-Laurent Boulevard following the latest homicide.
“I don’t want to go anywhere,” she said. “I don’t even want to leave my house.”
The area is home to a vast array of housing developments from high-end condos to low-income community housing and is one of many mixed neighbourhoods in Ottawa, said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante.
“We have a lot of mixed neighbourhoods in this ward, and in my head that’s a good thing,” Plante said. “But I would never want any community to say, ‘Well, we’re vulnerable and it’s not safe for us here.’”
Plante said she often walked her dog on the paths in the nearby Beechwood Cemetery and described the area as “quiet,” adding she had heard from many residents about neighbourhood safety concerns
Other residents agreed that, even after the two homicides, the area didn’t feel particularly unsafe.
While Denis and Joanne Belair said they found the increased crime concerning, they weren’t scared for their safety.
“We lock our door. That’s about all we can do,” Denis said with a shrug.
Steven Welsh said he heard emergency vehicles early Thursday from his nearby apartment building, but didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary until the sirens multiplied and persisted for several minutes.
Despite seeing some blood in the area when he walked by later in the day, after roads reopened traffic, Welsh said it spark any concerns for his safety.
“My wife walked alone (Thursday night) and I didn’t worry,” he said.
As city council’s budget season approaches, Plante says she encourages residents to start conversations about community safety if they think specific areas should have more resources.
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