From Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 to Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, police responded to four suspicious deaths, three non-lethal shootings, as well as numerous weapons complaints involving knives and bear spray.
In addition to the four suspicious deaths, some of the incidents of note include a 50-year-old man who is facing charges after he barricaded himself in a residence with firearms on Dec. 30, a weapons complaint at Eaux Claires Transit Centre that involved bear spray and a firearm on Dec. 30, and a shooting on Jan. 1 where a male presented at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound.
“Between the three suspicious deaths being investigated by Homicide Section, numerous other shootings, wielding of knives in public, and multiple incidents involving bear spray, it has been an exceptionally violent weekend in the city,” says Sgt. Aubrey Zalaski, with EPS Media Relations Unit. “Obviously, we have no control over the timing of these events, and must react as they occur to run effective investigations. Resources are stretched thin, and Homicide Section has recently needed to lean on other investigative areas to keep pace and maintain our high investigative standards.”
In December 2022, there were 21 reported shootings, compared to seven in December of 2021. In 2022, the EPS responded to 165 shootings in total, compared to 150 the year before.
Anyone with information about a crime can contact the EPS at 780-423-4567or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.