49-year-old Ottawa man gunned down on roadside
Police have identified the man who was found in a pool of blood on the shoulder of Russell Road.
An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound but “no clear motive has been established,” Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt of the major crime unit said.
Police have not determined whether there’s a gang element to the shooting that took the life of Opiny P’Ochieng, 49, Pirt said.
Gunfire that was later reported on nearby St. Laurent Boulevard at about 5 p.m. Saturday appeared to be unrelated.
A passerby spotted the man on the west shoulder of the road at about 3:40 a.m. Saturday and called 911. Soon after, police confirmed that they were investigating a homicide, the 12th of 2018.
Neighbours on quiet Dwight Crescent, which backs onto Russell Road, said they heard nothing, other than the raging windstorm, but several awoke before dawn Saturday to the flashing lights of police cars.
By morning, their backyard fences were part of a police perimeter spanning the Ottawa Community Housing apartment complex to the north and Hawthorne United Church to the south.
Gisèle Tassé’s fence was toppled by the wind then yellow police tape appeared over the gap as forensics officers in white jumpsuits pored over the scene for evidence while colleagues measured the scene with surveying equipment.
The victim’s blood had dried on the pavement.
The police activity was a sight Tassé never seen so close to home.
“Never,” she said Saturday morning. “It’s a beautiful street.”
A few doors down, Rita Pontello and Dale Wilson were awakened by the lights of police cars, so bright it was “like a disco.”
“It’s tragic,” Pontello said. Neighbours Joe and Irene Sleiman were awoken by the lights after being kept awake by the wind hurling pine cones against their windows.
Along with several police cruisers, a yellow Honda sat at the side of the road with its four-way flashers on, Joe Sleiman said.
“You don’t want it in your backyard,” Irene Sleiman said. “It’s like a whole different world when you walk through that gate.”
The major crime unit appealed to any witnesses to call them at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493.