Video shows man with bicycle firing gun into the air in downtown Hamilton parking lot

Hamilton police have released video footage that shows a man shooting a gun into the air while walking through a downtown parking lot over the weekend.

Police say that they were called to the parking lot on East Avenue North, near Victoria Avenue and Wilson Street, at around 3:40 a.m. on July 27 for a report of shots fired.

However, investigators were not immediately able to find any evidence of gunfire and cleared the scene.

In a news release issued on Thursday, police confirmed that investigators have since obtained video footage confirming that a shooting did take place.

The video released by police shows a man walking through a parking lot while pushing a bicycle. At one point, he appears to raise his right hand and fire at least one shot into the air.

Another individual can be seen in the foreground of the video standing beside a parked SUV. When the gun goes off that person appears to duck down.

“Hamilton Police Shooting Response Team is appealing to the community for any information regarding this shooting,” the news release notes. “The investigation has revealed that other people and vehicles were present in the parking lot at the time of the incident. We are requesting that those individuals come forward and contact investigators.”

Police say that the suspect was wearing light-coloured pants and a baseball hat. He was also carrying a backpack at the time.

Police are asking residents and businesses in the area of East Avenue North, King Street East, and King William Street to review their security and dash camera footage for any evidence which might be valuable in the investigation.

The release of the video comes just a few weeks after Hamilton police released another video showing several people running to safety following a daylight shooting in the city’s downtown core.

The latest incident marks the 40th confirmed shooting in Hamilton so far this year, police say.

“Police are releasing video footage to the community in the hope that someone may be able to identify the individual,” the news release notes.