Regional police are investigating after reports of shots being fired in Waterloo early Friday morning.
Police say it happened just after 2 a.m. in the University Commons plaza at the intersection of University Avenue and King Street.
They say shots were fired and a 26-year-old man from the Greater Toronto area was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Bullet holes could be seen in the window of a Subway in the plaza, while casings were littered throughout the parking lot.
Stuart Mackie was out with friends and heading to the plaza for food when he heard what he thought was fireworks.
“Our initial reaction was to help,” he said.
Mackie and a friend ran out to see if everyone in the Subway and the other stores were alright.
“My girlfriend was pretty upset with me leaving [the car], but it felt like the right thing to do at the time,” he said.
Josh Spurling parked his car in the University Commons plaza around the time of the incident and has been unable to access it.
"I understand it's a crime scene and they don't want to change anything, but it's been frustrating," he said. "[The situation] is freaky. It's not something you expect around here."
Lee Andrews came to town to pick up his daughter Morgan, a first-year student at Laurier.
“I know Waterloo is a very safe community,” he said. “I’m assuming it was a one off hopefully, but obviously you never like to hear about this kind of stuff.”
“I could have been there or I could have been in my room,” said Morgan. “You never know what’s going to happen and that’s such a short time frame.”
There will be an increased police presence in the area while they investigate.
"We do find this type of gun violence concerning," said Cnst. Ashley Dietrich of Waterloo Regional Police. "Investigators are working very diligently to identify the suspects."
Police believe this was a targeted incident, but are reminding residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.
