'It was pretty crazy': eyewitness recounts seeing woman shot in downtown Saskatoon

A woman was taken to hospital with injuries after an alleged daylight shooting in Saskatoon's Central Business District on Saturday afternoon.

According to a police news release, at 1:30 p.m. police received a call of an injured woman in the 300 block of 5th Avenue North. When police arrived, they located a 23-year-old woman who was injured. 

Police say she was taken to hospital by Medavie West, but didn't disclose how she was injured or her condition.

However, an eyewitness on scene told CBC he saw a man, wearing a blue top and black rolled-up pants or shorts, fire several shots at the car as it was leaving an apartment building located on the street.

Connor, who would not provide his last name as he feared for his safety, said he witnessed the shooting from start to finish. He said a man emerged from a nearby stairwell and opened fire on the car. 

"It was pretty crazy," he said. "He literally kept shooting at the car and then took off like instantly."

Connor said the man was emotionless as he pulled the trigger several times, and while it's unclear how many shots were fired, he said it appears the man emptied the gun, as he said he witnessed the slide of the weapon lock backwards, indicating it was empty. 

"He just didn't really look like he cared at all," he said. "He was pretty straight-faced. He pointed it. Pulled the trigger and then ran away after." 

He said the woman's lower-half was covered with a blanket when she was being removed from the car.

"I thought she was dead to be honest," he said, noting the gunman fired several shots at the vehicle. 

At least one bullet hole could be seen in the passenger-side front door and it appears several shots were fired at the rear windshield as well, as it was also shattered by a grouping of bullet holes. 

Connor said he was thinking about trying to assist the woman, but he was worried the gunman would return with a second weapon, noting police were on scene moments after the incident happened. 

A police officer on scene said Saskatoon police were looking for a suspect and they do not believe the shooting to be random in nature.

Michaela Olson lives in the building the car was exiting when the shooting took place. She said she regularly drives in the same area and the incident has on her on edge. 

"It's a bit scary to know that happened so close to where we live and where we always felt safe," she said. 

Olson said while they love the area, they have had a few scary incidents.

"We haven't really run into  any other serious problems, but it's definitely something we're aware of now and we'll have to be careful about," she said. 

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Saskatoon police or Crime Stoppers to report the information anonymously.