5 arrested and charged following weekend shooting in downtown London

London police have arrested and charged five people in connection with a shooting in the city's busy downtown core over the weekend.

One person was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries early Sunday morning after multiple reports of gunfire near John and Richmond streets. Officers recovered a firearm during the investigation.

Police initially arrested six people but said Wednesday that charges against one of them have since been dropped.

Investigators say they reviewed nearby surveillance video and identified a vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting. Police later learned the driver of that same vehicle had dropped off the victim at the hospital. With help from the OPP, officers found the vehicle outside the city.

Inside the vehicle, they seized:

• A loaded Glock 26 Gen 5 9mm handgun.
• About 98 grams of suspected cocaine.
• A bottle containing 40 suspected oxycodone pills.
• Two digital scales.

So far this year, London has seen more than a dozen shootings. Sunday's incident happened on Richmond Row, a busy bar district, during the same weekend when many university students moved in for the new school year.

The five people in custody include four men in their early 20s and a 25-year-old woman, all from London. They are facing charges that include:

• Possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm without a licence or registration certificate.
• Possession of a loaded or unloaded regulated firearm.
• Occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm.
• Failing to comply with a release order.
• Unauthorized possession of a prohibited device or ammunition.
• Possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking.
• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
• Failing to stop for police/pursuit.

All five are expected to appear in court this week.