The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is reporting a decrease in shootings in the month of October as compared to the previous year.
In October, there were a total of 13 reported shooting occurrences. Of the 13 occurrences, 10 are believed to be targeted and 7 resulted in injuries.
Most concerning, however, is that 11 of the 13 shootings had the potential for innocent bystanders to be harmed.
“Although we saw a decrease in gun violence in the month of October, the majority of incidents had the potential for injury to uninvolved parties,” says Staff Sergeant Eric Stewart of the EPS Gangs and Guns Section of the Organized Crime Branch. “This threat to public safety remains an ongoing concern for us and is the reason we will continue to actively work to reduce gun violence on our streets.”
Compared to October 2022, this month’s shooting occurrences were down by 19%. There have been 193 shootings reported to EPS so far in 2023, representing a 46% increase over last year at this time when 132 shootings were reported.
Police have seized 787 firearms thus far in 2023.
