A 37-year-old Aurora man is clinging to life after he was found, shot, in a car near the Rugby Hall close to the busy intersection of Old Barrie Road and Line 13.
Residents of the quiet hamlet of Oro-Medonte Township started noticing something was awry Monday night. A resident told OrilliaMatters there was “a rather unusual presence of OPP vehicles around the area” and said helicopters were heard on two separate occasions.
The person also said police activity indicated there was more than one scene being investigated.
Police are being very tight-lipped about the bizarre incident.
However, Orillia OPP Const. Martin Hill confirmed a man was found in a car suffering gunshot wounds. He could not say if the man was shot while in the car. He was taken to a Toronto hospital and has life-threatening injuries.
“I don’t know if he was shot while in the car, outside of the car or at a different location – that’s all being investigated,” Hill told OrilliaMatters Tuesday night.
He said investigators believe the shooting, which occurred Monday night at about 9:20 p.m., is an isolated incident. The person responsible, he said, should be considered armed and dangerous.
As to why a man from Aurora was in the quiet, rural area, Hill would not speculate. He also said he couldn’t divulge any more details about the nature of the incident.
“It’s all being investigated right now,” said Hill. “I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation. It’s one of those things … I wish I could say more, but I can’t. We don’t want to give anything away in case the bad guys are watching the news or reading the paper.”
He also could not say why it took almost 24 hours for a media release to be circulated.
Hill said multiple agencies are involved in the probe. Members of the Orillia OPP Crime Unit and Central Region Forensic Identification Services, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch’s Detective Staff Sergeant Matt Watson, are investigating the incident.
Anyone with information or knows who may be responsible is urged to immediately contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). You can submit your information online atwww.crimestopperssdm.com if you have any information on this crime or any other crime. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and you will remain anonymous. Being anonymous, you will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.
