A 26-year-old Windsor man has been charged with attempted murder related to a downtown shooting.

Patrol officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Ouellette Avenue and Maiden Lane on Friday, Oct. 5 around 1:45 a.m.

Police received information that one person was shot and there were numerous people in the area.

Through investigation, officers say they discovered that the suspect approached a 28-year-old man, fired his handgun at him and subsequently ran from the area. 

Police say the 28-year-old man was also observed pointing a handgun shortly after the incident and then handing it to another man. 

Officers say the 28-year-old man was also later found to be in possession of a quantity of suspected illicit drugs.

The 28-year-old man sustained serious injuries and received emergency first aid from a citizen and EMS paramedics.  He was subsequently transported to hospital for treatment.

Investigators from the Major Crime Branch were able to identify the three individuals directly involved in this incident.  All have been arrested.

One of the involved men attended Windsor Police headquarters on Monday, Oct. 8 and was subsequently placed under arrest.

The 28-year-old man continues to recover from serious injuries sustained during the incident. On Wednesday, he was placed under arrest. 

Police say the suspected shooter was located on Wednesday in the 1000 block of Windsor Avenue. 

He was subsequently placed under arrest by members of the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad and the Windsor Police Emergency Services Unit.

The matter remains under active investigation by our Major Crimes Branch. 

Investigators believe this was a targeted incident. But Constable Andy Drouillard says they are still looking for two guns involved in the shooting.

“I think the message is guns and drugs go hand in hand and it's definitely a dangerous scenario for all involved,” admits Drouillard.

Luther Downey,26, from Windsor, is charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a licence, and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Robert Edwards, 28, from Missassauga, is charged with possession of a firearm without a licence, point firearm, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking (suspected methamphetamine) and breach of recognizance.

Anthony Jones, 32, from Windsor, is charged with possession of a firearm without a licence and obstructing justice.

The shooting is the eighth in the city this year, three of those proving fatal.

“There’s definitely been an uptick in property-related crime and violent crime,” admits Drouillard, but he can’t say if the downtown shooting is related to gang activity in Windsor.

“That's part of the investigation at this point right, determining exactly the sequence of events, what the motives were involved in here,”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Windsor Police at 519-255-6700 ext. 4830, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.catchcrooks.com.