Police hunt Fort Erie gunman after shooting on Niagara Boulevard
July 29, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Niagara police are searching for a 28-year-old Fort Erie man accused of shooting another man outside a Niagara Boulevard residence early Wednesday, sending the 27-year-old victim to hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower body.
Detectives with the Niagara Regional Police Service’s Fort Erie criminal investigations bureau have identified the suspect as Samuel Sawyer of Fort Erie. He is wanted on five criminal charges, including discharging a firearm with intent to wound and aggravated assault.
Police believe the shooting was targeted but are asking the public to remain vigilant.
Officers were called at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, to an address on Niagara Boulevard between Bertie Street and Murray Street for a report that someone had been shot. They arrived to find the victim wounded.
Niagara Emergency Medical Services treated the man and took him to an out-of-region hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Investigators say an altercation broke out between the victim and the suspect outside the residence. The confrontation escalated until the suspect fired a gun at the victim, police say.
Sawyer is also wanted for possessing a restricted or prohibited firearm while knowingly not holding a licence, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a release order.
A Fort Erie man with the same name and age was arrested this spring after a separate shooting on the same street.
On May 17, officers responded to a shooting near Niagara Boulevard and John Street at about 2:25 a.m., found a bullet casing and determined two men had been involved in an altercation before fleeing in a vehicle. No one was injured.
Officers stopped the suspect vehicle that evening and arrested 28-year-old Samuel Sawyer of Fort Erie. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, discharging a firearm being reckless as to the life or safety of others and possessing a restricted firearm while knowingly not holding a licence.
He was held for a bail hearing scheduled for May 18 at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines. Police did not say in Wednesday’s release whether the two investigations are related.
The Forensic Services Unit was called in to process the scene on Niagara Boulevard, and the road was closed while that work continued.
Anyone with information on Sawyer’s whereabouts or the shooting is asked to contact police at (905) 688-4111.
Tips can be given anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or at (800) 222-8477, and the program offers cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest.
Switzer-Carty employee charged in child exploitation probe
Fort Erie residents are warned of rise in so-called ‘grandparent scams’
Motorcycle rider faces charges after month-long search
About The Author
Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
Stay Informed