Shooting outside Mountain barsets 5-year high for gunfire in Hamilton

A shooting that left a 22-year-old man in critical condition Monday marks the 42nd time shots were fired in Hamilton so far in 2019 the highest number of shootings recorded in the past five years.

It's also the third shooting in the city in less than a week.

Police say the Hamilton man was "socializing" with several people atCause and Effect Kitchen and Bar in a plaza near Stone Church Road East and Upper Mount Albion Road around 10 p.m. Monday.

Surveillance video shows him leaving the bar and one of the people he was with climbing into a passenger side of a black BMW, according to police. Then the man got into some sort of dispute with the driver and was shot in front of family members and close friends.

The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and wastaken to hospital in critical condition, according to police. He's now in stable condition.

Investigators believe the shooting was targeted and that the victim and suspect are "very familiar" with each other.

The BMW is described as a four-door sedan with a loud, aftermarket exhaust. It was last seen heading east on Stone Church Road. The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered.

Officers with the major crime unit are investigating.

They say they've spoken with several witnesses, but the victim's family and close friends, who were with him when he was shot, have yet to provide detailed statements about what they witnessed.

Number of shootings hits 5-year high

The incident pushed the number of shootings for 2019 past the previous high of 41, whichwasrecorded in 2017.

It's also significantly higher than the 25 shootings that were recorded last year and the overall number for 2016 and 2015, when 22 and 14 shootings were tallied respectively.

Among the shootings from the past year are the death of17-year-old Abdulla Hassan, who was found with a gunshot wound in a car in Dundasand Cece Luppino, the son of mobster Rocco Luppino, who wasgunned down in January.