Ottawa police chief responds to recent violent crimes
There has been an apparent spike in the number of reported violent crimes in Ottawa this month. Police Chief Eric Stubbs says it's a concern.
Stubbs addressed reporters in a virtual Zoom call Monday afternoon ahead of the Ottawa Police Service Board meeting.
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Three people in Ottawa have been killed this month: Stephen Pedicelli, 45, was stabbed in the ByWard Market on Sept. 12; Quentin Dorsainvil, 17, was shot in Centretown; and Ahmed Salim-Al-Badri, 34, was shot in the Herongate area.
In Pedicelli's case, a suspect is in custody and is facing a charge of second-degree murder, but the other two homicides this month remain unsolved.
In addition to that, there have been several other shootings and stabbings in the city that have resulted in injuries, most recently a case in Vanier Sunday night where a man was shot in the leg, and another case in the village of Metcalfe Monday morning, where a man was hospitalized in critical condition due to a stabbing, according to Ottawa paramedics.
Stubbs said that while there is an apparent rise in reported crimes lately, overall, some violent crimes are down compared to last year.
"When it comes to some shootings, some stabbings… we're on a bit of a cycle where it's elevated and that is concerning and that's keeping our team very busy, not only investigating but trying to suppress some of this… Compared to 2023, when it comes to shootings, we're about 25 per cent lower than we were last year. There was 58 at this time in 2023, this year, we're at 43. There are some stats that are higher or lower, but certainly, we're seeing an increase right and our team is working very hard to investigate and suppress it."
He added that it's unknown how many recent cases are connected, but said those investigations are ongoing.
Since Sept. 12, there have been five reported stabbings and four reported shootings in Ottawa, including one fatal stabbing and two fatal shootings.
- Sept. 12: Montreal man dead after stabbing in Ottawa's ByWard Market
- Sept. 13: Bank Street stabbing leaves man with serious injuries
- Sept. 15: Teen shot dead in Centretown
- Sept. 19: Ottawa man, 34, dies in hospital after shooting in Heron Gate area
- Sept. 20: Ottawa police investigating Rideau and Dalhousie shooting
- Sept. 20: Baseline Road stabbing: Man taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, another facing charges
- Sept. 22: Woman stabbed in area of Centretown West
- Sept. 22: Man injured in Vanier shooting
- Sept. 23: Stabbing in Metcalfe injures one
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