B.C. gang task force says uptick in shootings not necessarily an escalation in violence
Posted February 13, 2022 8:37 am.
Last Updated February 13, 2022 9:18 pm.
Despite a number of recent shootings across the Lower Mainland, the RCMP is hesitant to characterize the recent activity as an escalation.
Police have had to respond to gunfire many times this past month.
On Friday, the RCMP reported a shooting in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood. On Tuesday in Fraser Heights, also in Surrey, a man with gunshot wounds was taken to the hospital but did not survive. A woman was also shot.
Sergeant Brenda Winpenny with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit explains violence can arise because of personal conflicts, or a desire to exact retribution or retaliation for something that may have happened recently or in the past.
“I think what’s important to understand is, we want to urge some caution before we’re concluding that there might be any kind of escalation in violence. What we know is that these types of things sort of ebb and flow.”
She explains violence could be sparked by a gang member who owes somebody money, switches to a rival gang, or encroaches on another gang’s territory.
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She points out there is constant movement of members between the Wolfpack, Red Scorpions, the UN, and the Brothers Keepers.
On Thursday, in an urgent plea, Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers called for anonymous tips related to 20 gang-related shootings and four deaths in 40 days.
“That’s double the pace seen in 2021, where 123 gang-related shootings were recorded for the entire year,” a statement reads.
– With files from Robyn Crawford
