Yes, the people were kept in their rooms (in the hotel) from the time police cordoned off the area until well past 6 am. If someone had gone in for an hour at, say, 1:30, they were stuck there until morning. The crime scene extended into the entrance way, the hall ways and such of the hotel. There were a number of bullets removed from a wall or the floor in one of the rooms. Before people taped it all off, a number of girls in insanely short skirts came out and disappeared into the night.
Also nothing again "young black men", but when I see action that looks like gang or gang related activity, no matter what color the skin, I feel it's time to move somewhere else. Right now the west end (St Jacques) area is being fought over VERY hard, this is the second murder within a month, and there have been other stabbing and attacks in the area. Gang banger types are not well known for being good shots, so being in the area when this happens just ain't a good thing.
My understanding is that police may use this event as an excuse to crack down hard on the area and this hotel. As a hobbyist, I would not current recommend ANY hotel in this area for the forseable future. It't winter time, enjoy the downtown hotels that run specials to try to keep the rooms busy.
MATt