A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in a brazen daytime shooting in uptown Saint John this week.
Saint John Police Force said Hayden Donald-Bentley appeared in Provincial Court Wednesday, and has been remanded into custody until his next appearance on May 21.
In a release, police said another suspect — a youth — was also arrested and is in police custody.
There is a third suspect who has been identified and remains at large.
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Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Carmarthen Street and King Street East, near King Square, on Tuesday at 10:28 a.m.
Police found a 20-year-old man dead inside a vehicle. Three suspects were seen fleeing the area on foot, investigators said.
The incident prompted Saint John Police Force to issue a warning on X for the public in the are to “shelter in place.” A short time later, the New Brunswick RCMP issued an Alert Ready message on behalf of the police force. The alert was lifted by mid-afternoon.
The Major Crime Unit continues to investigate.
The incident has left many in the neighbourhood shaken.
Police Chief Robert Bruce said gun violence isn’t on the rise in the city, and that police are actively working to prevent future violent incidents.
“This one happened to occur right in the middle of our city, which is scary to everybody,” he said.
“But we’re doing the best we can with our patrol people, with our crime people, with the quick reaction team, with the integrated enforcement unit and street crime unit.”
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