More Guns on Street – Cops Fearing Increased Bloodshed (more Canadian gun control “success”)

Source: Edmonton News
Published: March 20, 2000

Author: MARIA MCCLINTOCK and DOUG BEAZLEY

MORE GUNS ON STREET
Cops fearing increased bloodshed

By MARIA MCCLINTOCK and DOUG BEAZLEY, EDMONTON SUN
A recent jump in the number of guns being used in local crimes has police Chief Bob Wasylyshen worried that firearms are being smuggled into the city.

The chief’s not the only one worried. Top city cops say they’ve seen a meteoric rise in the number of illegal firearms on the streets, and they’re bracing for bloodshed.

“There seems to be a bit of a rash in the use of firearms in the last couple of months,” Wasylyshen said yesterday.

“In spite of all the efforts to register guns there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of them, which makes me suspicious … they may be smuggled (from the U.S.) versus simply stolen.”

Cops on the street worry those guns will come into play more and more often.

“I’d say the number has doubled in just the last year, and it’s steadily increasing,” said Det. Rick Buckley of the Edmonton Police Service serious offenders section.

“And the bad guys aren’t afraid to use guns inside the city anymore. Which means the ones who are really at risk are the innocent bystanders.”

Staff Sgt. Kurt Schmidt, head of EPS homicide, said the rise in gun availability hasn’t affected the murder rate yet – Edmontonians still prefer killing with their hands.

“Stabbings, beating deaths,” he said. “Knives or fists. The homicides we’ve seen this year tend not to involve guns. Unless you count Crazy Jimmy.”

Gangster Long Duy Hoang, known on the street as Crazy Jimmy, was gunned down by a police tactical unit in January. He’d opened fire on cops after crashing a car in an attempt to flee pursuing police.

Schmidt said he sees gun battles like the Crazy Jimmy killing possibly becoming more common as police find themselves facing heavily armed suspects.

And the victims, he said, might not always be the bad guys.

“(In a police shootout) it can go either way. With more guns on the street, we could be looking at more homicides.”

Police statistics show that in the last two weeks firearms – mostly handguns – were used in seven of 22 robberies.

Buckley said some of those guns are being stolen from Edmonton residences, but many more are probably coming up from the States.

He said the ongoing battle between city gangs for control of the drug trade is probably fuelling the rising criminal demand for artillery.

“It’s the patrol guys who have to worry,” said Schmidt. “They could stop a guy for jaywalking and find themselves facing a gun barrel.”

Yesterday, Wasylyshen met with his staff to discuss how to combat the problem. He said if the gun crimes continue, a plan, which he wouldn’t discuss, will be executed. “We intend to deal with it very aggressively … we want to get these guns off the street and the people who are using the guns.”

Early today, police reported a person was shot and wounded at 97 Street and 137 Avenue. No further details were available at press time.