Pubdate: Sat, 30 Jan 2016
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Reid Southwick
Page: A12

POLICE SAY NEW GROUPS BEHIND WAVE OF VIOLENCE

Months after promising to jail those responsible for a spike in gun
violence, police announced the latest arrest Thursday, this time in
connection with a December shooting in the northeast neighbourhood of
Coral Springs.

Investigators said they remain focused on unsolved cases of shootings
from last year as they pore over video surveillance and await lab
reports, but warned they are dealing with a new cast of criminals
behind the latest shootings in 2016.

"The running gun battle between these groups from July to December,
that seems to have calmed down, but we're seeing increases in other
areas," Staff Sgt. Quinn Jacques, of the guns and gangs unit, said.

"We've had a bunch of shootings that involved groups that we didn't
know about or didn't think were capable of that level of violence.
It's caused us to go back and look at these other shootings and figure
out the root causes behind it. At this point I don't know."

Two men had been sitting in their vehicle in the 0 to 100 block of
Coral Springs Close N.E. on the evening of Dec. 13 when a silver Dodge
Caravan rolled up. A man got out of the van and fired four rounds into
the other vehicle - two other shots hit nearby homes - before he fled
the scene. There were no reports of injuries. Following an
investigation by the guns and gangs unit, police charged Abdul Amer,
19, with two counts of discharging a firearm with intent to injure. He
was expected in court on Friday. Police say further charges may be
laid as the investigation continues.

The Coral Springs shooting was part of a dramatic escalation of gun
violence on Calgary streets that police believe was linked to the drug
trade. In the first 11 months of 2015, there were 92 reported
shootings, a jump by 44 per cent over 64 shootings recorded during the
same period the year before.

Police routinely appeared in front of reporters last year to address
concerns with the spate of shootings, and assure the public they were
focused on a series of operations to target those responsible.

"We need to be in a position so we can assure everybody that these
wanton reckless acts of violence will not continue," Chief Roger
Chaffin said during a November news conference.

In December, officers revealed they had arrested 11 alleged drug
traffickers believed to be involved in shootings. The arrests came
after police confiscated 3,500 fentanyl pills and other illegal drugs,
a big seizure police said highlighted strong links between the illicit
fentanyl trade and gun violence.

Investigators believe the violence was waged by criminals with loose
allegiances, unlike the violent conflict between the FOB and FOB
Killers in the early 2000s, when clearly defined sides were pitted
against each other.

Jacques said Thursday there have been 10 shootings so far this year,
though some were accidental and not linked to gang activity. Those
involved in criminal shootings were not on the radar of
investigators.

Perhaps the most high-profile shooting came Jan. 10, when a man got
out of a vehicle that had pulled up to the Ten X Night Club and opened
fire into the front door, hitting Kenneth Duru, a 38-year-old bystander.

The shooter was tackled by bar staff and arrested by police, who
happened to be nearby. The driver of the vehicle was also taken into
custody, though a third man remains at large.