Man shoots air rifle in St. Catharines mall

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Niagara police are trying to track down a man who fired off an air rifle inside a St.Catharines mall. While no one was hurt in the incident, police say they’re looking to press charges. Surveillance cameras inside the mall show a man, believed to be in his late teens wearing a red cap and a bright blue backpack while carrying what police say looks like a rifle.

Luke Wasilewicz of DMZ Paintball says the barrel of the gun was a dead giveaway. He says a paintball gun makes a similar sound whether it’s loaded or not.

“Treat it like an actual firearm, meaning you’re not walking around with it in public, always in a bag in public, not shooting it in public.”

Niagara police say the shooter could be criminally charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The city of St.Catharines also has a by-law that states no one can shoot a gun like this within in city boundaries. Even so police say they frequently get calls for people firing paint ball guns and air soft guns in public places. Many of these guns are made to look like actual firearms.

Police say the shooter ran through the mall’s parking lot before police arrived and is still being sought