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The mayor of Fort St. John is calling for more provincial police resources to stop a surge in gun violence near local schools in northeastern B.C.
The call comes after what RCMP believe was a third targeted shooting Friday night at a home in that city.
Few details have been released so far, and police say suspects have yet to be identified.
Mayor Lilia Hansen wants B.C.’s gang task force brought in to bring violence in the city under control.
“One shooting, you’re like, oh, that’s awful. Two, it’s like, no, this is getting very serious. And three, this has to be stopped,” Hansen said.
“We need a stronger presence.”
RCMP say they are prioritizing an investigation into the series of shootings, which first began July 22, when they say at least one man was injured and later charged.
While police and B.C. Emergency Health Services have not confirmed if anyone was injured in Friday’s shooting, nearby residents told CBC News they saw at least one person taken to hospital by ambulance, and believe others were injured.
Sgt. Jaime Moffat said the detachment’s serious crime and street enforcement units are working with frontline officers to identify and arrest suspects.
“We recognize the concern these incidents cause,” Moffat said in a statement.
“Significant resources are being dedicated to identifying those responsible and preventing further violence.”
Growing concerns as back-to-school nears
Neighbours who live near the scene of Friday’s shooting say they’re surprised and troubled by the sudden spike in violence in the city.
Each shooting has happened within a block of local elementary and middle schools.
“For a small town like Fort St. John, you don’t expect this kind of violence so close to your house, so close to where your kids are sleeping,” said resident Thomas Whitton, a father of four.
Whitton says three of his children walked past the home targeted in the latest attack just an hour before shots started ringing out around 10 p.m.
Bullet holes were visible in the home’s front door Saturday afternoon, as police dogs and search-and-rescue volunteers combed through a nearby park looking for evidence.
“It could have been tragic, and that scares me,” Whitton said.
Whitton says governments need to give police and the courts the resources needed to find those responsible for the violence and keep them in jail.
“None of us want to see it here,” he said. “Especially as kids head back to school in less than a month now.”
Helen Gilbert, chair of the local board of education for School District 60, shared those worries.
“The level of violence in the city, and the concept that somebody who’s totally innocent could be injured with these drive-by shootings,” she said of her major concerns.
“As we head into the school year, it will be something that our district safety team will follow up on and talk about.”
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