Hamilton shooting: Video shows man firing into air in city centre car park

Hamilton police have released video footage showing a man firing a gun into the air as he walked through a city centre car park over the weekend.

Police say they were called to the parking lot on East Avenue North, near Victoria Avenue and Wilson Street, around 3:40 a.m. on July 27 for a report of shots fired.

However, investigators were unable to immediately find evidence of gunfire and cleared the scene.

Police confirmed in a press release on Thursday that detectives have now obtained video footage confirming that a shooting did indeed take place.

The video released by police shows a man walking through a parking lot while pushing a bicycle. At one point, he appears to raise his right hand and fire at least once into the air.

Another individual can be seen in the foreground of the video, standing next to a parked SUV. When the gun goes off, that individual appears to duck.

“The Hamilton Police Shooting Response Team is reaching out to the community for any information regarding this shooting,” the release said. “The investigation has determined that there were other people and vehicles in the parking lot at the time of the incident. We are asking for these individuals to come forward and contact investigators.”

According to police, the suspect was wearing light-colored pants and a baseball cap. He was also carrying a backpack at the time.

Police are asking residents and businesses in the area of ​​East Avenue North, King Street East and King William Street to review their security camera and dashcam footage for evidence that may be valuable to the investigation.

The video was released weeks after Hamilton police released another video showing several people running to safety after a daytime shooting in the city center.

According to police, this is the 40th confirmed shooting incident in Hamilton this year.

“Police are releasing video footage to the community in hopes someone can identify the individual,” the release said.