A young male has been taken to hospital in critical condition after a shooting in the Britannia area.

Paramedics say the incident happened just before 3:45 p.m. right on the pavement of Grenon Avenue, near Carling Avenue.

Several bullet casings have been located, police said, and investigators have been called in.

The victim was shot "at least once," according to police. His age has not been released.

On scene of possible shooting near Carling and Ritchie. Paramedics stabilizing adult male with gunshot wounds. Update to follow. —@OttawaParamedic

Police have closed Grenon Avenue between Carling Avenue and Michèle Drive.

Sazeda Khatoun, an employee at the family-run Bangladeshi grocer just down the street from the scene, said she didn't hear the gunshots, but saw police cars rushing to the scene.

"I saw that someone was lying down on the other side of the road and police was there. Maybe they were helping him. I thought maybe he died."

This shooting is the third in 24 hours. On Monday night, shots were fired near Billings Bridge. Later that evening Esmail Sharifi, 36, was shot and killed in a parking lot on Iris Street near Greenbank Road.

"The people here have seen a few [shootings] in the last few weeks," said Duty Insp. John Medeiros. "We ask anyone who has seen anything to contact us and help us apprehend those who are responsible for these shootings."

'Isolated incidents'

Coun. Mark Taylor represents the area of this latest shooting as well as Queensway Terrace North and Woodroffe North, where police have been investigating both a double homicide and attempted murder in the last week.

Taylor said he has spoken to people who live in Queensway Terrace North, who've seen an increased police presence since last Monday.

"Although it's a little bit rattling, [last week's shootings] were somewhat isolated incidents," he said, while adding it's too early to comment on the most recent violence.

Taylor said he plans to go to Woodroffe North and Grenon Avenue tomorrow to talk to residents about how they feel about safety, police presence and possibly starting a neighbourhood watch program.

The councillor had previously advocated for surveillance cameras after a series of shootings in nearby neighbourhoods in 2014.

"Crimes were taking place always within two geographic neighbourhoods, which is different than what we're seeing now," he said. "Which is almost, the police are tell us, geographic crimes of opportunity, where things are just happening randomly in certain places because that's where the perpetrators happen to be."