Man, 23, shot dead in his apartment
Three intruders forced their way in, police believe
A 23-year-old man was shot dead in his second-floor apartment on Richmond Road early Friday morning in what police believe was an ambush execution.
Ottawa police responded to a 911 call reporting a man without vital signs at 2881 Richmond Rd. around 12:10 a.m.
When they arrived, they found Jonathan Wite, 23, dead. Two other individuals were found in the apartment.
Police believe the shooting was targeted and that intruders confronted Wite in the apartment, forced their way into the unit, shot him and then fled.
Friday evening, police released photos showing three “persons of interest” in relation to the killing. The photos show two men and a woman and police are asking the public’s help in identifying and finding the three.
Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide tip line at 613-236-1222, ext. 5477, or use Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-2228477, or crimestoppers.ca.
The shooting occurred in the Bayshore/Britannia area, where police have seen a string of what they’ve called gang-related shootings. Earlier this week, police launched a neighbourhood response team to address the spate of shootings and to increase boots on the ground in the area.
The team had been scheduled to deploy in October but was rolled out early after several cases of shots fired in the west end.
Starting in late June and continuing into the summer, police began probing several incidents of retaliatory gunfire, which targeted individuals and homes in the area.
Police do not believe Friday’s fatal shooting is related to the other recent cases of west-end gunfire.
Police also boosted their presence in the area and said Friday officers will remain in the neighbourhood to support the community and help with the investigation.
The fatal shooting is the city’s sixth homicide in 2020.