Grand Falls-Windsor mayor pleading for more police in wake of targeted shooting
Someone fired multiple shots at a home in town
The mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor is begging both the province and the RCMP for more police in the wake of a weekend shooting, when someone fired multiple gunshots at a home on Suvla Road.
The Friday night incident led police to issue a public alert warning people of an active shooter, and asking them to shelter in place.
It was also one of at least four separate instances of gun violence in Newfoundland in five days. The three others happened in St. John's — two on Saturday, and a third on Tuesday night, which resulted in the death of a 33-year-old man, a police hunt and eventual arrest of 19-year-old Ibrahim Hussein.
In Grand Falls-Windsor, police believe it was a targeted shooting.
They described a man in a mask who fired a gun from Monchy Street — which runs perpendicular to Suvla — and who then fled on foot, and was eventually picked up by someone in a vehicle.
"This property is known to the local police in Grand Falls-Windsor detachment, and we have determined that it was not a random act," said RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland.
Mayor Barry Manuel says the property is also known to the town council as a hangout for drug dealers.
"When is something going to be done so that we can start looking at solutions to this, before some innocent person in our community is killed as a result of some of this criminal behaviour?" he said.
Manuel's plea is at least the fourth time in less than a year a local politician has called for more police in their communities. He says he's spoken with the RCMP, and written letters to the provincial Justice Department, all in an attempt to get more police resources in the region.
No one has been arrested or charged, though Garland said the case is a high priority for the RCMP.
In the meantime, though, Manuel says people are afraid.
He says the town is dealing with a full spectrum of social issues including drugs, mental health issues, poverty and housing "that fall within the provincial government bailiwick, and it's something that we are more than willing to help support things that can at least mitigate those problems."
Manuel says the home in question isn't the only area where the town sees a tough situation, adding drug dealing and drug use in the community is a "huge issue."
"It's well known that we've had outlaw motorcycle gangs here set up, organized crime in our community for years. We've brought these issues to the RCMP, we've brought these issues to government, we've met with police commanders — provincial, regional — and we need to make sure that our people are protected," he said.
"When you look around the province, the sad part is there are other areas of the province that are better served than we are in terms of the amount of policing and the amount of area that they cover."
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.