Manotick’s peaceful afternoon turned tragic on Wednesday when shots rang out just east of the village near the intersection of Bankfield Road and Prince of Wales Drive. Police were called around 4:30 p.m. to what they now call Ottawa’s third homicide of the year. Nineteen-year-old Majed Al-Ar was later identified as the man who died from his injuries.
Paramedics found two adult males with gunshot wounds at the scene. One was critically injured and later died at hospital. The second was treated and remains in stable condition. By nightfall, Ottawa police had two people in custody, though they have not yet said what charges might be laid.
The area, lined with a few homes and a local mechanic’s shop, is usually quiet. Neighbors described a sudden surge of emergency vehicles and flashing lights as police, paramedics, and forensic crews worked well into the evening. Bankfield Road was shut down between Prince of Wales Drive and First Line Road while investigators scoured the scene.
People living nearby told reporters they initially mistook the sirens for another traffic accident. Only when more units continued to arrive did they realize something far more serious was underway. One neighbor said she was still shaken by what she saw from her front window.
Police stress that there is no known ongoing threat to the public but are keeping the investigation active. With two suspects in custody and more questions than answers, residents are left to make sense of a sudden act of violence in their once-quiet community.
The shooting has cast a long shadow over Manotick, prompting conversations about safety and community in the rural edges of the city. As the nights grow colder, neighbors are holding onto a shared sense of loss while waiting for more clarity from law enforcement.
