Body found in west end; not deemed suspicious

A man’s body turned up in the west end Sunday in an area plagued by violence in recent weeks.

Police responded to the call at 7:26 a.m. near Carling and Maplehurst avenues.

Major crime investigators weren’t called to the scene and the death wasn’t considered suspicious, sources tell the Sun.

Detectives are waiting for the coroner’s preliminary report to determine if there’s obvious trauma to the body.

General assignment detectives were searching an embankment along the Ottawa River as two patrol cars guarded the pathway.

The body was found blocks away from where aspiring rapper Malik Adjokatcher, believed to have gang ties, was gunned down May 15 on Ritchie St.

On May 3, shots were fired around 1 a.m. along Dumaurier Ave., less than 2 km away from Maplehurst.

The neighbourhood is popular among cyclists and runners.

Several police cruisers were parked at the end of Maplehurst Ave., a street where homes range in the $400K to $500K range.

Residents were shocked by the police presence.

“It’s very unusual,” said a man who lives on the street but didn’t want his name published.

He said the area has seen its fair share of problems.

“If you go two blocks that way or two blocks that way, it’s kind of rough.”

Another resident who declined giving her name said the street is “very secluded.”

“I don’t like walking here at night but I do during the day,” she said.

Late at night, especially during the summer, “we do get youth in vehicles … just because it’s out of the way.”

A community meeting to address safety concerns takes place Monday night.

— With files from Doug Hempstead

Twitter: @ottawasunkroche