Three people were injured and at least two are in critical condition after a daylight shooting in St. Catharines, Ont., according to officials.

Police were called to the area of Church and Niagara streets — a densely populated mix of residential and commercial properties — at 3:34 p.m. ET by reports of a shooting, said Const. Phil Gavin of the Niagara Regional Police.

"I think it's safe to say when multiple shots ring out in a densely populated area with three victims, there's an element of safety concern."

Three people were injured in a daylight shooting near downtown St. Catharines Thursday. 1:31

Gavin confirmed later that investigators believe the shooting was targeted.

Police were still searching for two suspects overnight, described as black men between 19 and 23 years of age. Gavin said one of the men was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans.

The police were responding with the "full strength" of their service, he said — the emergency task unit and canine unit were on scene, along with uniformed officers and detectives.

Two of the victims were flown to a regional trauma centre with gunshot wounds. The third suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to Niagara EMS Chief Kevin Smith.

<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STCShooting?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STCShooting</a> Live Update 2 with PC Gavin <a href="https://t.co/bMWBDiNlc3">https://t.co/bMWBDiNlc3</a> —@NiagRegPolice

Police had been on "multiple scenes" in the area of Queenston, Geneva and Niagara streets, but early Friday they said they were holding one scene overnight for forensic examination.

More than a dozen people who live within the police line waited well into the night before they were allowed to return home shortly before midnight.

Some approached officers guarding the police tape, demanding to be let through. Others, whose properties fall just outside the line, sat on their porches to watch the action unfold.

Dan Peterson, who's lived in the area for more than a year, was among those waiting outside police lines. He was turned away from the police tape at 5 p.m. and was still waiting to be allowed through four hours later.

"We're just waiting the situation out," he said, noting that others had tried to dart through the police tape.

Peterson said that while the neighbourhood isn't crime-free, he was surprised by the magnitude of the violence.

"You see little scraps here and there, but that's about it," he said. "That's child's play compared to what's going on now."​

With files from The Canadian Press