It was a tense morning for residents in Pillette Village who were told to stay inside as Windsor police searched for an armed gunman believed to be roaming the streets.
At around 9:30am on Wednesday, neighbours breathed a sigh of relief as officers arrested a suspect, Richard Wallace, inside a house in the 900-block of Pillette Rd. Police say he was inside that house for several hours before surrendering peacefully.
Richard Wallace.
Staff Sergeant Matthew D'Asti won't say if they recovered the long gun he allegedly had.
"The number one concern, the threat of this individual has been eliminated and there are no injuries so obviously we are relieved," he says.
The incident all started at around 12:30am Wednesday when police were called to the 2900-block of Grandview for reports of shots fired.
Officers found bullet holes in a home and quickly learned the identity of a suspect. Police were lead to the area of Pillette and Wyandotte, where they believed the suspect is living.
A truck was seen leaving the area when police performed a high-risk takedown and arrested two men, but not their main suspect -- Richard Wallace. A 27-year-old man and 21-year-old female, both from Windsor, will be charged with possession of stolen property.
"While officers were on scene they heard shots fired and we learned that this male may be in the area armed with a long gun," says Constable Andrew Drouillard.
At around 2am Mark, who lives on Arthur Rd., says he woke up to gunshots and immediately called 911.
"Oh yeah, the shotgun - I heard the shell hit the ground. I knew it wasn't a firecracker. I heard the shell hit the sidewalk, I knew it was a gun," he says.
Mark doesn't believe the shooter was targeting anyone.
"I know he shot in the air because he shot out the street light. There's glass all over the ground and the street light is all busted up," he says.
He has only lived in the area for about three months, but Mark says police are often on Arthur Rd.
"It's like a mini Drouillard, it's sad," Mark says. "I'm more worried about the kids in the hood... my neighbourhood is full of kids."
Brennan Catholic High School and Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School remain closed Wednesday for staff and students.
Despite several shots being fired, police say nobody was hurt. A large radius around Pillette Rd. and Wyandotte St. E was blocked off and businesses were unable to open Wednesday morning. The road has since reopened and the neighbourhood has returned to normal.
Police are continuing to investigate to establish motive, collect evidence and interview witnesses.
"We want to remind the public, if you have information about this individual, just because we have him in custody don't assume we have everything we need," D'Asti says.
Wallace is facing weapons related charges.
