Police looking for suspect in Touché handgun incident

Gun fired Wednesday night, no one injured

A bar with a popular gay night became the centre of a police investigation on Jul 26. Police are on the hunt for the man who fired a handgun inside Touché shortly after 1am.

Those who have been identified so far are not members of the gay community, representatives for the police say, but they have not identified the suspect.

Tainted Tuesdays at Touché draw a mixed — but mostly gay — crowd. Homos regularly take advantage of the light-up dancefloor, the lounge area, and the massive centre bar once a week.

The shooting occurred in the early hours of a Thursday — not during one of the bar’s trademark Tainted Tuesdays.

No one was injured.

Police released a description of the man at 4:30am. He is described as a black male in his early 20s, skinny, sporting cornrows. The police say he is between 5’8″ and 5’9″ and between 160 and 180 pounds. Police say he may still be in possession of the handgun.

Touché manager Bara Rek-El-Bakhour was not immediately available for comment.

If you have information about the suspect or the incident, police are asking you to contact the Ottawa Police (Detective Kulvir Guram, 613-236-1222 ext. 5414) or Crimestoppers.

Marcus McCann

Marcus McCann is an employment and human rights lawyer, member of Queers Crash the Beat, and a part owner of Glad Day Bookshop. Before becoming a lawyer, he was the managing editor of Xtra in Toronto and Ottawa.

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