Mohamed Najdi dead after targeted shooting Sunday night, police say

A 28-year-old man is dead after what police describe as a targeted, gang-related shooting on Sunday night.

Officers and paramedics were called to the 100 block of Claremont Drive, near St. Laurent Boulevard and Hemlock Road, at about 10:40 p.m.

The 28-year-old who had been shot was found in anoutdoor courtyard andwas taken to The Ottawa Hospital's Generalcampus trauma unit in critical condition.Helater died from his injuries.

He has been identified by police as Mohamed Najdi, whohad a criminal record and was a known gang member, police sources told CBC News.

He was also a witness in the 2015 shooting death of Sharif Said, the sources said.

Najdi'sdeath is Ottawa's first homicide of 2016 and fourth shooting of 2016.The Ottawa police major crimes unit is investigatingand no arrests have yet been made.

'There was a man screaming'

A woman who lives nearby and didn't want her name used because of safety concerns told CBC News she heard the shooting on Sunday night.

"I heard a couple of shots and then I checked my backyard, there was a man screaming that he was shot in the back," she said.

"One of my neighbours was on the phone with 911, she stayed with him until the cops and police showed up. When the paramedics came they were starting to do CPR on him, they took him, then the whole neighbourhood was just flooded with cops."

Trevor Belanger and Caitlin Lee were walking in the area not long after the shots were fired and watched as neighbours, police and paramedicstried to help the victim.

"I was just highly disturbed, because I've never seen anything like that before ... and my main concern was his parents, how they're going to feel about all this," Lee said.

Area not known for violent crime

Many people who live in the area, which includes a housing co-op, say there's the occasional fight or minor disturbance there but they don't consider it to be a high-crime areaor gang territory.

"We all get along most the the time, I would never assume anything like that would happen especially here because we've lived [here] for like our whole life it's kind of a shock," saidTamika Brathwaite.

London Terrace was closed Mondayto vehicles and pedestrians between Hemlock Road andGeorgetonPrivate, bordering London Terrace Park.

Najdi's last known address was in the 300block of Prince Albert Street in Overbrook.

Police sources told CBC they've investigating whether shots fired at a home in the 300block of Prince Albert Streeton Jan. 5 may be related to Najdi's death.

No one was injured in the Jan. 5 incident, which police said in a news release was believed to be gang-related.

Anyone with information is asked to call policeat 613-236-1222, ext. 5493.Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.