By Adrian St.Onge, Eli J. Ridder

Armed police respond after gunshots heard in Medicine Hat neighbourhood

Jul 27, 2024 | 5:50 PM

There was a major police response at a low-rise apartment building Saturday afternoon after gunshots were heard in a residential neighbourhood of Medicine Hat.

A drone was circling above the intersection of Third Avenue Southwest and Eighth Street Southwest where police vehicles and at least two ambulances were parked with lights flashing for several hours.

A police sniper was watching the rear of the building while armed officers went in and out the entrance that faced Third Avenue.

There is no danger to the public, a Medicine Hat Police Service spokesperson said Saturday evening.

Police late on Saturday confirmed a 30-year-old man and members of the MHPS sustained injuries.

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The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been assigned to investigate the events and, as such, no additional information will be provided, police said late on Saturday.

The owner of the building, John Karamanos, told CHAT News a tenant fired a weapon when he entered the front door at 12:40 p.m.

Karamanos rushed back outside and called police after driving away from the area.

An individual that Karamanos identified as the tenant who fired a gun was carried into an ambulance after 3 p.m.

Most of the police and EMS presence left the scene by 4:30 p.m.

Karamanos said that he had went to the building at about 7 a.m. Saturday morning to check on a resident and left when the knock went unanswered.

When he returned later and the resident fired a weapon, Karamanos said he wasn’t sure if the intent was to hit him.

He then went to the police station to report the incident and provide a building layout as officers arrived at the scene.

Several eyewitnesses confirmed having heard between five and eight gunshots.

Police have not given any statement and many details remain unconfirmed at this time.

‘Very rare for Medicine Hat’

Police cordoned off and secured the road, something Karamanos said needs to be recognized.

“I was here right from when it happened to minutes after and the police handled themselves perfectly. They cordoned off the streets. They had many officers back and forth getting equipment, getting things ready and they were doing the job.” Karamanos said.

“I had to walk up and ask some neighbours to walk away. People are attracted to drama, I guess, but the police were perfect.”

Karamanos said that the incident is uncommon for Medicine Hat and that it doesn’t represent the city’s values.

“We have quite a few rentals in Medicine Hat and we had one problem guy,” Karamanos said.

“I think this is very, very rare for Medicine Hat. Nobody should judge Medicine Hat this way because it’s not this way,” he said.

Karamanos said that the tenant failed to pay rent and there were complaints against him. He had tried unsuccessfully to evict the tenant over the last week.

Residents in the apartment building had complained about the suspect yelling throughout the evening over the course of multiple nights.

Karamanos warned community members from speculating and trying to approach an active crime scene.

“I’m going to say don’t speculate because you’re probably not going to guess right and in this situation here, it was not safe,” Karamanos said.

“This guy came out and he’s right out front of the apartment and I had to go say to him, ‘dude, go back in your house,” he said.

“What if the guy would have walked out the doorway right away and would have followed us out? People shouldn’t do that.”