Over the last week, the Prince George RCMP have responded to several targeted attacks involving firearms and which can be directly associated to two rival groups involved in the drug trade.
All persons associated to either of these groups are at an increased risk to harm, say police.
The Prince George RCMP say they have allocated considerable resources to stopping this dispute.
The following incidents are related to this conflict:
- Just after 3 a.m. on Tuesday September 15, the Prince George RCMP received multiple reports of shots fired in the McIntyre Crescent area of Prince George. Frontline officers immediately attended the area and located evidence of gunfire that targeted a specific residence. The residence was occupied by two adults and three children. No injuries were reported. Investigators believe that a vehicle was involved and that it fled before police could be called.
- At approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday September 17, the Prince George RCMP received the report of shots fired at a residence in the 400 block of Quinn Street in Prince George. Police officers attended the area and located a residence that had been shot at numerous times in what is believed to be a drive by shooting. Luckily, the three occupants of the home were not injured.
- At approximately 2 a.m. on Friday September 18, Prince George RCMP officers were called to the report of shots fired in the 1100 block of Vancouver Street. Through investigation, frontline officers located a residence where at least one shot had been fired. No one inside the residence was injured.
- Just after 2 a.m. on Monday September 21, the Prince George RCMP received a report that a woman had been shot and was in a driveway on the 2600-block of Norwood Street in Prince George. Frontline officers attended and located a 23-year-old woman suffering from non-life threatening injuries as a result of what was believed to be a gunshot wound. Investigators determined that the shooting likely took place outside an address on the 2800-block of Oak Street, approximately three blocks away. The investigation is continuing.
- Just before 11 p.m. on Monday September 21, the Prince George RCMP received a report of shots fired on Bellos Street in Prince George. Frontline officers attended the area and located firearm related damage on a residence. No injuries were reported.
- Just before 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday September 22, the Prince George RCMP were requested to assist Prince George Fire Rescue at a the scene of a residential fire on the 4400-block of First Avenue in Prince George. Indications were that the fire had been deliberately set. The fire was extinguished with most of the damage on the front of the house. The two adult occupants and their pets escaped without any reported injuries.
A common factor in each of these investigations is that the persons being targeted are not co-operative with police.
The shooting that occurred on Upland Street on September 17 is not believed to be related to this dispute or the above incidents.
The people using these firearms to commit these violent acts do so without a firearms licence or the ability to legally purchase firearms, according to police. The firearms used in these disputes are usually acquired through the theft of guns from legal gun owners. Police would like to remind all gun owners that it is their responsibility to secure their firearms when not in use. They also request that gun owners take extra steps to conceal the location of their gun safes to decrease the chances of the guns being stolen.
Anyone with information about this conflict or the persons involved, are asked to please contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest, seizure of firearms or recovery of stolen property, you could be eligible for a cash reward.