May drive-by gun incidents likely connected, says police chief

The string of five gun incidents — including three shootings — during a 30-minute window on May 21 are likely connected, Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said Monday.

Speaking on 980 CJME’s Gormley with guest host Drew Remenda, Bray said the police service has made some arrests related to the case, but he couldn’t yet provide details about who they arrested or what charges were laid.

“I think it’s tough to say they’re not (related cases) when it happens with a similar M.O., and it happens in a very short period of time in different locations in the city. We’re operating under the assumption that it was (a series of connected incidents), and certainly our investigation is taking us in that way as well,” he said.

The police chief said suspects connected to the shootings were eventually arrested outside of the city.

“We had to work collaboratively with partners like the Moose Jaw police and the RCMP. Ultimately it was in the RCMP jurisdiction that we were able to make some arrests, which will significantly help us being able to wrap this case up,” he said.

Bray added that once charges are laid, he can “talk more knowledgeably about the events.”

What has been reported so far is that on the night May 21, five gun incidents were perpetrated in less than 30 minutes near downtown Regina and in North Central.

Three different men were shot in the incidents. Another man alleged he was robbed at gunpoint and a fifth person reported a gun being fired.

At the time, police said in a news release that each victim or alleged victim reported a similar, dark Ford truck being used.

The next day, Lumsden RCMP recovered an abandoned stolen Ford F-150 truck outside Regina.

Bray said that the May 21 incidents, along with other recent shootings in April, are part of a larger trend of more frequent calls for gun reports from the public.

“It’s a daily and nightly event for us …,” he said. “Back when I started my career 24 years ago, if we had a gun call a month, that was a lot.

“That means once a month as a police officer, you’d respond to a fairly serious gun call. Now it’s very common for us to have multiple gun calls a night.”

Drugs and gang activity are among the biggest drivers of recent gun crimes in the city, he said. Crystal meth is one of the main illicit substances involved in that.