‘Ottawa’ Was Shooting of Lawyer a Contract Hit?
Just outside his office on a sunny afternoon, criminal defence lawyer J. Randall Barrs is shot multiple times by a man dressed as a construction worker. And when the injured man tries to crawl away, the determined gunman fires yet again.
Conveniently, a surveillance team from Halton Regional Police just happens to be nearby as the shooter tries to make his getaway and they stop him with bullets of their own.
At first blush, many, like fellow defence lawyer Ari Goldkind, assumed Barrs had been targeted by a disgruntled client. But that theory is quickly losing steam.
“Now my senses are telling me this is more akin to something like a contract hit,” he says. “Perhaps it’s connected to his law practice, or perhaps to something other than his practice of law.”
Barrs has handled cases involving drugs and has also represented many nightclubs before the Alcohol and Gaming Commission.