A homicide suspect was killed by a police officer inside a ByWard Market parking garage, capping off a flurry of gun activity that saw the suspect shoot two friends — one fatally — early Saturday morning.

The chorus of gunfire and its aftermath has prompted an investigation by both city homicide detectives and the province’s civilian police watchdog.

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A witness, who did not want to be identified, said the gunfire, which began just after 2 a.m., was sparked by an argument inside a Clarence Street bar. The altercation escalated and spilled out into the street.

Bun Sim was shot and injured on the west side of Dalhousie Street, outside the Market Cleaners near Clarence Street, just after 2 a.m. He was later taken to hospital and is expected to survive his injuries.

A group of his friends and others who witnessed the attack on Sim began chasing the fleeing suspect.

A tactical police officer was driving in the area on patrol as the first shots were fired. He attempted to arrest the fleeing suspect at gunpoint.

The suspect continued to flee and then fatally shot Sim’s close friend, Terrence Phillips, 43.

The officer then pursued the suspect on foot and followed him inside the parking garage on Clarence. There, the two exchanged bullets.

Several shots were fired and the suspect was killed in the confrontation. The SIU has not released the identities of any of the men involved – neither the civilians nor the police officer. The officer was not injured in the gunfight.

The officer was alone at the time of the shooting, but was later joined by responding patrol units after the gunfire in the parking garage.

The Special Investigations Unit invoked its mandate and assigned a team of 10 investigators to the shootings. The SIU has also designated one subject officer and two witness officers.

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Friends began to mourn Phillips and pray for Sim’s recovery on social media Saturday.

Phillips had his share of troubles with the law prior to his death. He was given a conditional sentence after bringing his then-three-year-old daughter to a crack deal with undercover police in 2010. He then violated his probation when he was arrested in 2012 for impaired driving and obstructing police in Gatineau.

At a sentencing hearing for violating his conditions, Phillips’ lawyer said his client had turned his life around. The former addict was committed to his full-time job at a hotel and taking care of his teenaged autistic son and young daughter.

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Phillips himself told the judge he was no longer doing drugs and was committed to becoming a “positive person” and wanted to make a better life for his family.

In a moving letter to the court before he was sentenced for the drug trafficking charge, Phillips wrote: “I’ve completely changed my life around and I’m never going back to the past … I’ve promised my family that this is the last time I’ll ever be involved with any kind of criminal activities.”

The judge sentenced him to five months in jail for breaching the conditional sentence order and noted he had “done better” by having a full-time job and being charged with an offence that didn’t include drugs.

“I’m sorry for being here,” Phillips told the court at the time.

Friends and family mourned his death as surreal. They said they were “heartbroken” and wanted Terry to rest in peace. Their attention turned to Sim, hoping he would pull through the violence that claimed his friend’s life.

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SIU investigators were canvassing for witnesses Saturday, and pleaded for any eyewitnesses, or anyone with video evidence of the incident, to contact the agency. Investigators were also scouring nearby businesses for surveillance footage.

Ottawa police major crime detectives are assisting the SIU with its investigation and will investigate the first shooting of the morning, which left Sim injured. The SIU will investigate the killings of both dead men, since police had interacted with the now-dead suspect before the second and third shootings.

The SIU will determine if the officer committed a crime in shooting the suspect dead or if the use of lethal force was justified. The civilian police oversight agency investigates when police are involved in civilian injuries, deaths or sexual assaults.

Ottawa Police Association president Matt Skof said the police union is offering support to the involved officer, but would give no information about the officer.

Skof said that “policing is a dangerous profession” and Ottawa officers are increasingly aware of that reality in the confines of the ByWard Market, where police staffing levels have been an issue given the influx of patrons in the area, especially after bars close.

Residents, business owners and visitors were rattled by the latest gunplay, with signs of violence still visible by midday Saturday in three distinct crime scenes across the bustling ByWard Market block.

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A maze of police tape cordoned off the entire city block, where bloodstains and discarded shoes and clothing were still lying where they fell on Murray Street, and blue crime scene markers dotted the sidewalk along Dalhousie Street. The area remained closed to the public for most of the day.

Witnesses were unnerved by the outburst, and many expressed fears over an apparent escalation in gun violence in the area.

It was last call at Chez Lucien, directly across the street from the parking garage, when several staff and patrons heard a gunshot, and looked out the window to see three men, and one in obvious trauma collapse to the ground.

“It was so surreal, it was all you could smell,” said another witness, Sophie, of all the gunfire. “I watched (paramedics) do CPR on this lifeless body for the longest time. It’s very traumatic. I haven’t really slept.

“I’ve worked in the market for nine years, and sure there are stabbings, some sketchy crackheads, but it was never shootings like this with bullets flying. I really used to feel safe, or as safe as you can, but I don’t want to go to work anymore.”

In a statement from his press secretary, Mayor Jim Watson said he was unable to offer detailed comments on the case because of the investigation, but “wishes to remind residents that we continue to live in one of the safest cities in North America.

“The ByWard Market continues to have increased police patrols during both the daytime and evening, and Mayor Watson appreciates the excellent work our Police officers do on a daily basis.”

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“An incident of this nature is tragic and my thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this morning’s events,” said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury in a statement. “While there is no immediate threat to the public, I understand the Special Investigations Unit continues to investigate the scene. We await more detailed information to come to light.”

Vincent Stoop, co-owner of The French Baker, heard the shots fired and stepped outside to see a group of six to eight people running away, while others near the parking garage yelled for first responders to “Hurry up!” as dozens of police descended on the scene.

Stoop said his bakery’s delivery truck was stranded inside the parking garage.

The parking garage at 141 Clarence St., which connects to Murray Street, was closed due to the ongoing investigation. When the garage reopens, according to the City of Ottawa, the exit gates will stay open for an hour to allow vehicles to leave, free of charge. For people who can’t remove their vehicles within the hour timeframe, the city said refunds will be available. Parking garage users were advised to keep their receipts and call 311 for a refund.

The fatal shootings are the city’s fourth and fifth homicides of 2017.

VIOLENCE IN THE MARKET

Omar “Esco” Rashid-Ghader, 33, was fatally shot multiple times inside the Sentral nightclub Aug. 14, 2016.

Kayla Sullivan, 30, was stabbed in the back in broad daylight. Peter Herauf pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her Oct. 15, 2016 death.

Ayanle Siad, 28, and Edgar Casseus, 31, were charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting in the ByWard Market on Oct. 2, 2016. The 51st shooting of the year broke the Ottawa record, set in 2014.

One man was grazed by a bullet in a George Street nightclub, another man was beaten and a third stabbed nearby in an outburst of Market violence on Nov. 18, 2016.

-Postmedia files

Photo by Ashley Fraser / Postmedia