The recent gun violence in Waterloo Region has put public safety at risk.

Thursday morning, Police Chief Bryan Larkin held a rare roundtable meeting with the media.

He spoke candidly about gun-related cases including last week’s brazen daylight shooting of 58-year-old Helen Schaller.

“At this point, we don’t believe it was targeted, we do believe there is a risk to public safety,” Chief Larkin says.

Over Easter weekend, a shooting at a busy Waterloo plaza left a business sprayed with over 30 bullets. Three people were injured.

“We believe it’s really related to street gangs that operate in the Greater Toronto Area and that frequent our area and it could be linked to other different pieces but that’s what we significantly believe,” he says.

The following day, police responded to reports of another shooting up the street at King and Hickory. Two men were hurt after they were hit by a responding police cruiser. The SIU has taken over that investigation.

The police chief also brought up Kurt McKechnie’s murder. He was gunned down in a townhome on Southwood Drive in Cambridge earlier this year.

Police say multiple suspects were seen driving from the complex.

The chief also mentioned how detectives are still working on the shooting of Isaiah MacNab last fall. The 20 year old was killed at close range near downtown Kitchener.

Police followed two suspects in a white Mercedes down Highway 401 but lost track of them near Mississauga.

"Community safety is a collective responsibility and we are grateful for the continued trust and support from those who continue to bring information forward," Larkin says in a statement. "We understand some people may be reluctant to come forward or wish not to be identified, and we encourage them to call Crime Stoppers where information can be provided anonymously

Chief Larkin asked the public to remain vigilant but not to live in fear.

He noted that, for the first time in 30 years, violent crime in Canada is ticking upwards. Those numbers have affected Waterloo Region, too.

He says the opioid crisis and illegal drug and gang activity are playing a role.

Anyone with information regarding one of these cases is asked to contact police at 519-570-9777, or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.