Kamloops, B.C., resident raises alarm after shots fired near home
'There are so many families and wonderful people in our neighbourhood,' says resident
A Kamloops, B.C. resident is calling on police to address violence and drug activity in her neighbourhood following a shooting Monday that sent two men to hospital.
The resident asked to remain anonymous out of concern for her safety. She lives close to the scene of the shooting, which occurred on the city's North Shore.
"I did hear the shots," she told CBC about the shooting. "I wasn't exactly aware of what it was, so I went outside and took a look."
The woman didn't see anything, but police soon surrounded the neighbourhood and told her to evacuate.
The RCMP say the address involved is well known to police and they have been monitoring the address.
The resident said there have been several other instances in which police have been called to the home.
She hopes police will take more seriously the criminal activity in the area.
"There are so many families and wonderful people in our neighbourhood who are tired of seeing the violence and the drugs," she said.
'People are tired'
The resident also said the RCMP has told her there isn't much they can do about the ongoing issues in that particular household.
"I just wish there was some way they could do something about it," she said. "People are tired of the police knowing what's going on, yet nobody being able to fix the problem."
Police said there is only so much they can do. "The people who live there also have rights," said Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie.
The RCMP has been in contact with the homeowner, who rents the property to the current occupants.
Shelkie said this issue isn't something the police can handle on their own; they're asking the community to work together to address the issue.
In particular, they're asking neighbours to keep a diary of the goings on at the home and make themselves available to go to court.
No arrests have been made in relation to Monday's shooting, and the investigation is ongoing. Both victims in the shooting were known to police, but the two victims aren't cooperating, and no witnesses were found in the area.
With files from Doug Herbert and Daybreak Kamloops