Penticton police have little to report on five homicides in the past three years

PENTICTON – Penticton RCMP are releasing few details as investigations continue into five unsolved homicides in the area over the past three years.

Penticton RCMP detachment commander Supt. Ted De Jager provided few details about the investigations at a media briefing today, June 6.

De Jager said the investigation is ongoing into the June 4, 2015 death of Darren Leadbetter at the Golden Sands Resort on Lakeside Drive, with no new information to report.

The homicide investigation continues into the January 17, 2017, death of a 27-year-old Kelowna man on White Lake Road. De Jager said members of the Southeast District Major Crime Unit in Kelowna are looking into that death, which occurred outside the city boundaries.

The April 26, 2017 death of a man on Creston Avenue is currently before the courts, De Jager said.

The death of a 17-year-old in April 2017 is also before the courts. Kiera Bourque, 21, was recently charged with manslaughter in the case.

The suspect in the June 12, 2017 homicide of Dale Atkinson in Penticton is now deceased, although the investigation remains open.

There have been no homicides so far this year, although RCMP are probing two shootings, and De Jager believes police are keeping a lid on violence in the community by targeting prolific offenders.

"Our Targeted Enforcement Unit has been extremely effective in interdicting and bringing before the courts the majority of people causing the crime in the region," he said.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.