Shootings down 53 per cent in January: Edmonton police

Published Feb 07, 2024 • Last updated 48 minutes ago • 1 minute read

Edmonton Police Service logo. Photo by Postmedia /File Photo

The Edmonton Police Service said there was a 53 per cent decrease in shootings in the month of January compared to the previous year.

According to a Wednesday news release, there were a reported nine shooting occurrences during last month. Of those, eight are believed to be targeted and six resulted in injuries.

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The risk to the public continues to be a concern, police said. In January, seven of the nine shootings had the potential for innocent bystanders to be harmed. In total, 75 firearms were seized last month.

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“As we continue to implement our guns and gangs strategy, we are pleased to see the shooting numbers trending downward,” said acting Insp. Eric Stewart of the organized crime branch.

“Thanks to the continuous and sustained efforts of our guns and gangs section, including the addition of new gang suppression and firearms investigation teams, we are hopeful this trend will continue well into 2024.”

There were 19 shooting occurrences in January 2023 and police said over the last four months they have seen a downward trend in shooting occurrences compared to last year.

In October 2023 there were 13 shooting occurrences, down 19 per cent from the previous year, while in Novemberthere was a eight per cent decrease in shooting occurrences, with 11.

In December, there were 17 shooting occurrences, which was down 19 per cent from last year.

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