Police in Halifax express concern about spate of gun violence in city

HALIFAX – Halifax police say they hope to calm a spate of violence — including a shooting that left a man dead on the street in an emerging restaurant district — before anyone else is harmed.

Deputy Chief Bill Moore says police are investigating whether shootings Tuesday night that killed one man and injured another are related to the homicide of former basketball star Tyler Richards, who was found dead in his west-end home on Sunday.

Halifax has had six homicides so far this year, and Moore said three over the past month are of particular concern because they could spiral into further violence.

The deputy chief says investigators are also concerned about fallout from the Joseph Cameron homicide in neighbouring Dartmouth on March 29, although police aren’t connecting that death to the more recent shootings.

He also said in an interview it is “disconcerting” that the latest shooting occurred in such a public place.

“What we’re getting is that it’s a very emotionally charged time now and we’re trying to reach out and diffuse some of that hostility,” said Moore.

In the latest shooting, officers were called to a gentrifying stretch of Gottingen Street at about 11 p.m., to respond to multiple calls of shots fired.

They say they found two injured men in a vehicle, one of whom was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but there were no other details on his condition.

Police say they believe there are citizens who know who is responsible for the deaths and they are pleading with the public that they come forward.

“Police are doing everything possible to disrupt additional violence, but we need community support. We all have a role to play to stop the violence in our community,” says a news release.

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