Man dead after shooting in Kitchener

A man in his mid 20s is dead after a shooting in Kitchener and police are working to piece together what happened.

Waterloo regional police say officers were called to the parking lot of a McDonald’s on Ottawa Street near River Road around 2 a.m.

The man was found with injuries and rushed to an out-of-region hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Insp. Kyle Lambert said at this time, the death is not considered a homicide, but that could change.

“We work hand in hand with the coroner and that involves a post-mortem investigation and at that time we’ll have a better idea to determine what exactly took place,” Lambert said.

“We have nothing to indicate that it was a random incident, and we have nothing to indicate that it was targeted.”

Lambert also said police cannot confirm at this time if the injuries sustained by the victim were gunshot wounds.

An increased police presence is expected in the area around the restaurant throughout the day and other businesses in the plaza could be impacted.

On Wednesday morning, police tape could be seen surrounding the McDonald’s and adjacent parking lot, with a white SUV behind the tape.

The SUV had a flat rear tire and blood was visible inside on the passenger side and on the pavement nearby. Police remained tight lipped about what significance the vehicle played in the shooting.

“Sometimes with the examination of a vehicle, we will do it at the time and later on, and we’ll be able to determine if the shooting was in the vehicle or somewhere outside the vehicle,” Lambert said.

Police said they’ll rely on surveillance cameras, which could be seen around the McDonalds parking lot, in their investigation. They’re also collecting witness statements.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Waterloo Regional Police Service.