WINNIPEG -- A man is in unstable condition after being shot by police in a back lane in the William Whyte neighbourhood in the North End.

Police were seen responding in a back lane in the area of Boyd Avenue and Powers Street Wednesday afternoon.

Const. Rob Carver of the Winnipeg Police Service said uniformed officers responded to a report of an armed man in the area around 12:40 p.m.

"At some point in time, fairly soon after the initial contact, officers were forced to discharge their weapons," Carver said. "The male was struck and transported to hospital in unstable condition."

Carver said he was not able to provide any more details about the man, and was not able to say what he was armed with. He said he believes the man was an adult.

'OH MY GOD, THEY JUST SHOT HIM': VIDEO RECORDS SHOOTING IN BACK LANE

A 36-second video obtained by CTV News, taken on the scene by people in the area, shows a police cruiser with its front doors open in a back lane.

What sounds like two consecutive gunshots are heard in the video, followed by someone screaming "Oh my God, they just shot him."

There is a four-second pause before one more gunshot is heard.

In another video, multiple officers are heard yelling seconds after the shots are fired.

"Don't move. Roll over on your stomach," one officer yells.

"Stop moving. Lay down," another officer is heard yelling. "Hands out. Put them out front."

Three officers are seen in the video with their guns drawn. It shows several other officers running down the back lane.

Carver said 'some actions' from the man caused the officers to fire their weapons. He could not say if officers had been shot at, but said no officers were injured.

"Our officers discharged their weapons. We don't need to be shot at to fire back," Carver said. "If someone raises a weapon in our direction, officers are expected to be able to stop that threat. In this case officers discharged their weapons."

Alyssa McKenzie, a resident in the area, said the shooting happened just steps from her garage.

She said she looked out her window when she heard police speaking to a man using a megaphone.

"I saw two policemen; one was hiding behind a car, another had a big gun in his hands," she said.

"(The police officer) was pretty much telling him to get down and that they were trying to help him out, and that he needed to put his weapon down and get on his knees. He wouldn't do that and so then they shot him pretty much three times."

Carver was not able to say how many shots were fired, but confirmed it was more than one.

Another video recorded at the scene shows paramedics loading a person into the back on an ambulance.

Carver said the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) will be taking the lead on the investigation because police officers are involved in the shooting.

'IT'S ONLY GETTING WORSE': WITNESS TO SHOOTING SAW MAN ARMED

Stephanie Smith, who lives in the area, said for an hour or two before the incident, she saw a man walking around the neighbourhood carrying what appeared to be a pistol with a longer barrel.

"We heard some gunshots and next thing we know he is on the ground – he is on the ground and cops are taping everything off and sending him off in the ambulance," she told CTV News.

Smith said she has lived in the area for about four years and has seen people walking around with guns before.

"I know what it's like now in this end, and it's only getting worse," she said. "More or less, just lock your doors, lock your cars, and keep your kids close by you – that's what I do."

Carver said police will be investigating whether any charges will be pressed against the man.

Multiple officers were on the scene Wednesday afternoon and police tape blocked off the back lane. Carver said police are expected to be on the scene well into the evening.

He asked anyone who may have heard or witnessed the shooting to contact police investigators at 204-986-6222, or contact the IIU.  

-with files from CTV's Josh Crabb and Jamie Dowsett