The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said it is investigating 22 shootings that happened in the month of August.
Three of the shootings were fatal, one of which was self-inflicted, according to police. Eighteen are believed to be targeted and 10 resulted in injuries.
“In 19 of these shooting incidents, there was the potential for innocent bystanders, including children, to be harmed,” police said.
Det. Jared Buhler of the EPS homicide unit said the workload on police is “unprecedented,” especially with ongoing conflicts persisting through the city.
“It’s a challenging thing for a police service to take on — all of those dynamics in the environment we’re working in,” he said.
“Resources are tapped across the board.”
Compared with the same month last year, shootings are up by 36 per cent, EPS said, adding there has also been a 32 per cent increase in shootings year-to-date compared with last year, with a total of 152 so far.
Of the shootings, nine involved a gun being fired at a person, four were fired at homes, four were fired into the air, two shots were accidentally discharged and one was self-inflicted, police said.
EPS has seized 679 guns so far this year, the service said.
“Over half of our homicides are now firearms-related, so it just speaks to the volume of firearms that are on the street right now,” Buhler said.