Edmonton Crime Report

Rise in illicit guns on Edmonton streets could be linked to federal gun ban, police commission hears As city police grapple with more shootings, the Edmonton Police Commission heard an increase in illicit guns on the streets could be linked to the federal government’s move earlier this year to prohibit certain firearms. Deputy police chief Kevin Brezinski made a presentation to the commission on efforts the service is taking to tackle gun crime Thursday afternoon. When asked ...by a commissioner whether there might be more illicit long guns on Edmonton’s streets as a result of the federal government’s ban on more than 1,500 assault-style firearm models and variants, Brezinksi said there is evidence to suggest so. We have noticed that with some intelligence that we do have is that when they went from restricted to prohibited there is a proposed buyback program that has not been initiated by the federal government, so people are stuck with these firearms, Brezinski said. And I think what we’re seeing is that some of these firearms are being sold to the criminal element and they are making a profit through these firearms. So certainly that’s a concern. There have been a number of shootings in recent weeks, including seven recorded in the span of a week beginning on Nov. 2. On that day, three men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds in three separate cases. Two men were shot during home invasions on the city’s west side, while hours later a third man was shot in southwest Edmonton by three men wearing masks. As of Nov. 5, police Chief Dale McFee said there have been 127 shootings this year, and gun crime is up overall with 284 files involving guns or replica guns, up 14.5 per cent since last year. One such file, the commission heard, involved a search of a downtown apartment on Nov. 7. Officers found numerous guns, some of which were loaded, including four shotguns, two hand guns and a rifle. Various ammunition was also seized, along with meth and cocaine. Speaking to media following the commission meeting, Brezinski said there are people of interest involved in a number of the shootings in the city. On one hand you have an organized crime and gang shootings. On the other hand, there have been some random shootings as well, he said.

Man dies of self-inflicted gunshot after Edmonton police officer injured in hit-and-run on Whitemud Drive; ASIRT investigating A man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police pursuit that followed a hit-and-run of an officer on Whitemud Drive Thursday morning. Police were helping with traffic control on Whitemud Drive eastbound between 17 Street and Anthony Henday Drive for the transport of an oversized load about 1:20 a.m. when a vehicle drove through traffic and... hit an officer who was on foot, Edmonton police said in a news release. The driver fled the area and police pursued based on the dangerous driving that had already been observed. The vehicle then came to a stop in the area of 17 Street just south of the Henday and a man discharged a gun before he was transported to hospital where he died, said police, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The officer who was hit by the vehicle was taken to hospital with minor injuries. No other officers were injured and a woman who was in the car with the man who died was not injured. The vehicle the man was driving turned out to be stolen and had a stolen licence plate. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate the man’s death. ASIRT’s mandate is to investigate cases involving Alberta’s police that have resulted in serious injury or death to any person, as well as serious or sensitive allegations of police misconduct.