Well it seems Calgary not immune from Islamic terror attacks. Police said they responded to a shooting at TEN Nightclub at the 1100 Block of 10 Avenue southwest just before 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
A 38-year-old man was shot and taken to hospital in stable condition.
Two men are now facing charges after a gunman opened fire inside the Calgary nightclub.
Two of the club’s bouncers are being credited for saving more people from being shot, as they put their lives on the line to tackle the gunman.
Spencer Wallace considers himself lucky to be alive. The part-time nightclub bouncer narrowly missed being shot.
“I hear a gunshot and I see a guy get shot in the chest and I watch a door explode and watch a nightclub go from perfectly calm to sheer panic in about 10 seconds,” said Wallace.
At around 1:30 a.m., three men pulled up in front of the nightclub. Two waited in the car, while the other walked up to the front door and fired several shots inside, when one victim was shot, police said.
“One of our other staff (was) there and started to apply pressure right away to him. So for 10 seconds, he was unattended before one of our guys was on him trying to help,” said Wallace. “I watched people get glass showered over them. If I was doing a pat down at the time, I would have been in this guy’s line of fire and I could’ve been shot.”
Witnesses said the shooter was jumped by staff right away, with the loaded gun still in his hands.
“The camera footage shows other people, customers sprinting away. He tackled the guy right away. No hesitation. An average-sized guy, mid 30s, nice guy but no hesitation from him at all. He knew what he had to do and he put himself on the line to protect people that he didn’t know,” said Wallace. “So they were wrestling a guy with a cocked handgun, who had already opened fire on innocent people.”
“About five or 10 minutes later, I’m out front and the gun is laying on the sidewalk and the police officer tells me to move out of the way because the hammer is still cocked back and it could go off.”
The Calgary police gang suppression team happened to be on scene at the time. One passenger in the vehicle tried to help the shooter and got away. The third person in the car was arrested.
Two men are facing six charges each.
As for Wallace, he’s had enough of his part-time bouncer job, but he has loads of praise for what his colleagues did.
“I am never going to put a security shirt back on. I have a day job and guns are a whole other level of violence that I’m not prepared for and I do not want to deal with,” Wallace said. “I give these two guys nothing but the utmost respect and praise. They saved lives last night, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
Mohamed Elmi, 31, and Mohamed Salad, 29, both of Calgary, each face the following charges:
•Discharge firearm with intent to endanger life
•Unauthorized possession of a firearm
•Unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle
•Possession of firearm with altered or defaced serial number
•Aggravated assault
•Pointing a firearm
TEN Nightclub released a statement on Facebook on Sunday evening which said staff were forever grateful to patrons and the community for all their “love and support at this sad time.”
READ BELOW: Complete statement from TEN Nightclub regarding Sunday’s shooting
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim of the senseless and random act of violence carried out this past Saturday (Sunday Morning), we are deeply saddened for your suffering. Thanks to the courageous acts of our security staff that apprehended the suspect immediately in the act & preventing entry to the venue further injuries were prevented. We are all forever in their gratitude. Suspects were taken into custody shortly after the incident.
Safety of our patrons and staff is our absolute number one concern, we take every precaution to prevent violence and encourage an enjoyable environment for everyone to visit. We are forever grateful to our patrons and communities alike for all your love and support at this sad time.
We encourage anyone who might have information to report to the Calgary Police Service, your help at this time will ensure justice is served. You may also reach out to us for any of your questions and concerns.”
