London police confirm incidents where guns are being discharged more common
With crime statistics, perception isn’t always reality. A small cluster of incidents, in a short time, can make it seem like there’s a larger problem.
But when it comes to gun use in London this year, that’s not the case.
“For 2021, certainly the numbers are trending higher than we’ve seen the past five years or so,” says London Police Service Det.-Sup. Paul Bastien.
He says that as of August, there had been 23 incidents where guns had been discharged and there have been three other incidents to this point in September.
“The fact is, the majority of the shootings that we investigate are not random. Many of them are targeted.”
The most recent shooting incident happened on Thurman Circle around 3 a.m. Saturday. A bullet sliced through a garage door of a home and slammed into a nearby wall.
Those close to the incident, who don’t want to be identified, say two post-secondary students were in the garage pumping up an air mattress at the time and were narrowly missed. They insist neither the house nor the students were targets.
One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, says it’s known there are people who carry guns in the area but other residents won’t say anything because they don’t want to put themselves at risk.
“You don’t stick your nose in. You just keep your nose down and hope it doesn’t happen to you.”
Two recent fatalities have highlighted the concerns over gun violence; the Sept. 10 shooting death of 30-year-old Lynda Marques in a north London neighbourhood and the killing of 18-year-old Josue Silva, who was attending a field party in south London at the end of July.
Bastien says it’s important for people to understand that gun violence is still very rare.
“The thought of a random gunman out there shooting up random neighbourhoods is certainly frightening. That’s not the case here.”
Still, Bastien says it’s important that whenever someone has information about another person unlawfully carrying a firearm, they let police know, to ensure other lives aren’t lost.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.