Mayor Charlie Clark says that violence in Saskatoon, like the two shootings and a stabbing that occurred on the weekend, are typically caused by drugs.
“We’re seeing more and more weapons out on the street,” he said.
“And the evidence is clear that this is driven by a rise in addictions and the trafficking of crystal meth and fentanyl.”
Clark’s comments come after the shootings and stabbing took place within 48 hours and within a few blocks of each other.
At about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, a 23-year-old man was shot on Centennial Drive, in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood. A 26-year-old man was arrested shortly after in a house with “large quantities of psilocybin,” according to a police statement. Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic drug.
On Saturday afternoon, police, firefighters and paramedics administered first aid to a teenager boy in “medical distress.” The teenage boy died and police told Global News that an autopsy would be performed on Monday.
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Global News can confirm the teenager was a student at Holy Cross High School.
On Sunday shortly after 2 a.m., a man was stabbed four times on Fairmont Drive, near the Confederation Suburban Centre. At 4 a.m., a 30-year-old man was dropped off at St. Paul’s Hospital after being shot near a business at Fairlight Drive and Diefenbaker Drive.
The shooting on Centennial Drive occurred a few steps from Brenda Balfour’s house.
“I wouldn’t want to go outside after 6 o’clock,” she said.
“It’s too scary.”
“We want people to feel safe in their neighbourhood and in every neighbourhood,” Clark said, when told of Balfour’s comment.
“We’re in an ongoing conversation with our chief of police and the police service. I’ve been in dialogue with our premier, with our justice minister, with our health minister to talk about how we all need to work together to ensure every neighbourhood is safe,” he said.
He said more police officers are being hired by the city with the next budget and that he had another meeting with the police chief later this week.
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