Cape Breton police appealing for help after second shooting in Sydney Mines

Cape Breton Regional Police say they did not tell the public or the media about a second shooting in a Sydney Mines, N.S., neighbourhood last month because they didn't have any hard evidence.

But Staff Sgt. Keith Power said officers are now going back to canvass the Cottage Street area again, looking for more clues.

"We still have a lot of unanswered questions now, so that's kind of what we're hoping to get from putting these other measures in place and we're hoping that if there is information out there and if there is some concerned people in that area, that they're going to come forward and speak to police and give us the information we need to get us to our end goal," Power said Thursday.

Coun. Gordon MacDonald, whose district includes the Sydney Mines area, has been critical of the police, saying he first heard of the second incident on Cottage Street when he read about it in the Cape Breton Post newspaper on Saturday.

"I was quite surprised and shocked that this is the second time this happened in that residential area," he said on Tuesday. "The concern for me as the resident councillor is what's happening down in Sydney Mines, what's happening on this street, and why is there bullets flying around randomly at properties?"

The regional police issued a news release on March 10 after a home was struck by bullets fired from a car on Cottage Street.

But when another shooting was reported on March 22 on the same street, police did not tell area residents, the media or MacDonald.

He said that is unusual, because the force normally alerts councillors about public safety issues in their districts.

MacDonald said he's received a number of calls from residents concerned about the second incident, but he's unable to provide any information.

"Since we didn't hear about it [from police], I'm hoping that it's an isolated incident [like] they described the first one as."

Power said police responded immediately to the second incident when a resident reported hearing what they thought were gunshots. But an initial investigation turned up no physical evidence.

Since then, police have seen video that suggests gunfire came from another vehicle.

"We believe that there is some additional information that the police don't have, so we've put some measures in place to try to gather that information and we're hoping those people or that person will come forward and speak to us now," Power said.

Councillor critical of communication

MacDonald said police need to do a better job of communicating with the public when something serious happens and he's asked Mayor Cecil Clarke to find out why neither he nor the public has been given any details.

"A few people that I spoke to this morning ... are concerned about what's going on and how these things are happening without anybody knowing about them, and that seems to be the big concern right now."

A fatal shooting occurred in Sydney's Whitney Pier neighbourhood in February.

MacDonald said he's not aware of any connection but said constituents are talking about what seems to be an increase in serious crime in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Without information from the police, he said he cannot offer residents any comfort.

"I would just tell them to always be aware of what's happening around them. Keep an eye on their doors and windows and, you know, just be wary of strangers driving on your street these days. It's the way the world is at the moment."

Power said he couldn't comment on whether there's been a rise in serious crime in CBRM, but he said police do not believe there's a connection between the Sydney Mines shootings, even though the similar incidents occurred on the same street only 12 days apart.

"At this point, we do still believe that it was isolated and we don't believe that the general public is in any danger."

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