Calgary experiencing Surrey-type gun violence

CALGARY Police are reeling from the high level of gun violence in their city – something that Surrey has also been experiencing this year.

Staff Sgt. Quinn Jacques, who heads the guns and gangs unit, told CBC that using guns to resolve disputes over drugs has “now become the rule instead of the exception.”

Quite naturally, police are concerned over this as in the first half of 2015, there were 63 shooting events across the city as compared to 54 shooting events in all of 2014.

About 40 per cent of the shootings have occurred in the northeast part of the city and police wonder if members in the drug conflict reside there or gather there or if there are other factors involved.

Police are trying to find the groups responsible for the spike in the shootings.

Jacques told CBC: “The conflict that we’re seeing doesn’t seem to have a root cause. It’s probably in some way related to drugs, but there’s not two opposing groups. It’s very complex and fluid.”