Regina police are investigating several weapons offenses which occurred through the city Tuesday night.
“Over the course of about 28 minutes, we had five incidents. Each one of those investigations is treated independent of the others but we believe there is a bit of a connection between all of them,” said Deputy Chief of Regina Police Dean Rae.
In the first reported incident, at about 10:40 p.m., police were dispatched to the area of 14th Ave and Reynolds Street for a report of a robbery that had just occurred.
A 33-year-old male victim was walking in the area when a “black, extended cab F-150 truck” pulled up beside him. Police say the driver of the truck robbed the man at gunpoint and fled the area. The victim was not injured.
At 10:51 p.m. that night, police were dispatched to hospital for a report of a 29-year-old male who had sustained injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.
Police say through investigation they found the shooting had just taken place in the 1900 block of Montreal Street after the victim was leaving a residence.
A vehicle described as a “big, black four-door truck” stopped in front of the residence and the suspect in the truck shot the victim. The vehicle fled the area.
Police said the victim’s injuries are not life-threatening at this point.
The RPS Communications Centre also received a call from an individual who reported a firearm being discharged from a grey truck at 7th Ave and Retallack St, at approximately 10:53 p.m. Police said the caller would not meet with them and had no further details. Police went to the area and did not locate physical evidence of a discharged firearm.
At 11:08 p.m., police were dispatched to the area of 3rd Ave and Athol St for a report of a 41-year-old man who had sustained apparent gunshot injuries.
Police said in this incident, a vehicle believed to be a “grey Ford F-150 with a black stripe down the side”, stopped beside the victim, pointed the firearm at the victim and shot, striking the man. The truck then fled the area. Police said the man’s injuries are “serious but non-life-threatening, at this point.”
Wednesday morning, police were notified of an abandoned stolen Ford F-150 truck outside of Regina.
Lumsden RCMP located the vehicle. The exact location it was found is not known to Rae, though he did note it was located “northwest” of Regina.
Rae said the “there is no indication” that the victims were known to each other, and each person targeted “just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The suspects, though, are believed to be connected in some way.
“We believe that it was one vehicle involved with a number of people. We’re not sure who those individuals are,” he said.
Rae said there’s no indication that these recent firearm offenses are related to the homicide which occurred over the long weekend.
There are no further details of the suspects to be shared with the public and it’s not known if the crimes are gang-related. The gang unit is involved in the investigations.
When it comes to an uptick in recent crimes, Rae said “I wish I had an answer to that.”
“We’ve talked about the prevalence of crystal meth in our community before, and what it does to people. We don’t know if it’s related to that. At this point in time, there are more questions than answers.”
Rae said crimes are happening more frequently in “central” Regina, but they’re “scattered throughout”.
“It’s not necessarily in one area,” he said.
Following these incidents, police are reinforcing to the public to be aware of their surroundings.
“Anytime we have incidents like this, I think people should be concerned. We stress the public to be aware of their surroundings when they’re out and about.”
Anyone who has information, or video, or may have witnessed even part of any of these events, is asked to contact the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500, or your local law enforcement agency, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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