Calgary Police Link Recent Gun Violence to Possible Organized Crime

Multiple shootings in Calgary over the past few days has led the police to believe the attacks may be linked to organized crime.

According to the police, they have responded to five shootings that occurred in the past four days throughout communities in Calgary. The police said “while it is still too early to determine the motivations of these shootings and whether they are connected, several have the hallmarks of organized crime.”

The most recent of the shootings happened on Monday afternoon, in the city’s Northeast community of Marlborogh Park. The police said they received reports of a shooting that occurred in a parking lot at the Trans Canada Centre, located in the 1400 block of 52 Street N.E., at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers located a deceased man, while two others were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

In a press conference on Monday, the CPS Supt. Cory Dayley said the shootings were all targeted. “It is not common that we’d see this many days in a row with this spate of violence”, he said.

“Organized crime-related violence is often difficult to solve, due to the lack of cooperation from those involved, and the extra steps taken by offenders to plan these acts, conceal their identity and dispose of evidence.”

He added that the police is working hard with multiple teams to “try and connect the dots and try to suppress any retaliatory violence.” The police said they are working to address organized crime related violence through a “coordinated offender management approach.”

The police said through this approach, they have seized 375 crime guns, including almost 90 firearms from organized crime offenders. The police are monitoring almost 350 offenders with ties to organized crime, and have arrested and charged 83 of them, some of them multiple times.

The CPS continue to encourage the public to report anything suspicious that may help prevent organized crime. Calgarians can contact the police by calling 403- 266-1234 or drop anonymous tips at Crime Stoppers.

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