'It has to stop': Kitchener shootings prompt message from police chief

After two early morning shootings in Kitchener, Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief Bryan Larkin has issued a message condemning the crimes.

Police have responded to an increasing amount to gun violence over the past several months, said Larkin.

“We saw two years in the pandemic where we did see a decline in shootings. But post pandemic, once again we’re reaching pre-2020 levels,” Larkin said in an interview with CTV News.

There have now been 10 shootings in Waterloo Region since the beginning of 2022. Last year there was a total of 16.

Larkin said we’ll likely surpass that number by the end of this year.

"We’re seeing this in other jurisdictions," he continued. "We believe that this is very much related to the drug trade, to organized crime, a culture of intimidation, a culture of bullying and the propensity to use a firearm."

JUNE 16 SHOOTINGS

Larkin said police believe a pair of early morning shootings in Kitchener on Thursday June 16 are “likely connected” and investigators are currently working to establish that.

No injuries have been reported in either incident. So far, no arrests have been made.

Police said the first set of shots were fired around 12:30 a.m. in the area of Belmont Avenue West and Karn Street. A few hours later more gunshots rang out near Fairview Park Mall. 

Larkin said the number of rounds fired in each incident was particularly “concerning.”

Both incidents appear to be targeted, according to police.

"The majority of shootings we have in our region are related to street crime, they’re related to organized crime and the drug trade," Larkin said.

COMMUNITY MESSAGE

In a message posted to the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s website Larkin said while recent violence is troubling, police are dedicated to working to ensure residents feel safe.

“To those who continue to commit senseless acts of crime in our region, it has to stop,” Larkin said in part in the statement. “We will not stop. We are committed to working around the clock to hold those accountable for their reckless actions against the community.”