Victim shot three times, police looking for suspect

Sarnia resident David Edwards remains in shock on Monday and got little sleep after a shooting on Napier Street.

“I heard the shots, which I thought were fireworks. But it was definitely, I now realize, the shots. About seven to 10 gunshots,” he told CTV News.

A short time later, Edwards said heavily-armed officers were outside his door, and Monday morning, he gradually heard the rest of the unsettling story.

Sarnia police confirm just after midnight, a man and his girlfriend returned to their Napier Street home and the man opened his vehicle door to see another man wearing a mask.

Moments later, the male resident was shot multiple times.

Somehow, he travelled nearly 200 metres, across a parking lot, to the nearby Sarnia police headquarters.

Insp. Leo Murphy said the victim was sent to a local hospital before an air ambulance flew him to London for treatment of life-threatening wounds.

David Edwards is a resident of Napier Street. Aug. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

“He had sustained two gunshots to his chest and one through his neck. So police officers jumped into action,” said Murphy.

Most of Napier Street and several areas around it, including a portion of the police station, were immediately taped off.

Murphy confirmed police are focused on a home with a white pickup truck in the driveway and added, “We will be doing a grid search with our members in an attempt to locate evidence.”

Police have not yet located the suspect, and at this point, Murphy cannot confirm if the shooting was targeted.

There have been no bulletins issued advising of a safety concern.

Meanwhile, Edwards wishes the injured man a successful recovery and said, “I’m just praying it’s not who I think it is.”

As the taped-off area is extensive, Murphy said it could be Tuesday before evidence collection is complete. 

Sarnia Police Insp. Leo Murphy on Aug. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

The Sarnia police station is partially taped off for a police investigation on Aug. 28, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)