Gun violence in Ottawa: Shootings down but injuries up

Ottawa Police headquarters on Elgin St. is seen in this undated photo. (CTV News Ottawa)

There have been fewer cases of people illegally shooting guns in the city of Ottawa this year, but there is a trend toward more injuries because of gun violence.

Interim Ottawa police chief Steve Bell addressed the issue of gun violence at Monday’s Ottawa Police Services Board meeting.

“As of Sept. 20, we’ve seen 48 shootings this year, which is a 25 per cent decrease compared to this time last year,” Bell said. “Despite the decline in shootings, the number of people injured is on the rise. We’ve seen 27 people injured and three fatalities due to shootings this year.”

Bell says that compares to 33 injuries and nine fatalities in all of 2021.

“Our investigators remain very engaged in these files and 84 crime guns have been seized, 46 of which were seized following an OPS-led investigation with the support of the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Provincial Police,” Bell said.

Overall, he said police are seeing the number of calls return to pre-pandemic levels. He said there has been a nine per cent increase in reported violent crimes, including assault (up 8 per cent), sexual violence (up 14 per cent), robberies (up 23 per cent), uttering threats (up 14 per cent), and criminal harassment (up 10 per cent).

WORKING TO GET ‘FEMICIDE’ CODIFIED

Bell also said the Ottawa Police Service is working to ensure femicide is specifically codified as a crime in Canada.

Six women have been killed in Ottawa since January, Bell said, and he noted a common thread.

“In each case, we have concluded that a man was responsible or men are facing charges for those acts. The violence must stop,” he said.

Bell said help is available, but solving the issue would require “new approaches, new ideas, and renewed collaboration with our community,” Bell continued.

“The Ottawa Police Service has begun introducing the term ‘femicide’ in our communications to describe the murder of women when the reason for death is suspected to be that the person is a woman, including intimate partner violence, misogyny, control, or sexually motivated crimes,” he said. “It is currently not in the criminal code and does not speak to motive. Our service’s use of this term is meant to bring a new dimension to the conversation about and advocacy for the elimination of violence against women in our community.”

Bell said the OPS is working with partners to help establish an official definition of femicide to be written into law.