A 22-year-old Niagara region man and two male teenagers from the GTA are facing charges in connection with a housing unit takeover in Peterborough on Tuesday evening (April 30).
A housing unit takeover is a situation where people have moved into a home and are manipulating and endangering the legitimate tenant or homeowner.
At around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, police officers were conducting a well-being check at a residence at 850 Fairbairn Street, a 36-unit townhouse located between Parkview Drive and Highland Road that is operated by the Peterborough Housing Corporation.
After officers knocked on the door, a 24-year-old Oshawa man with a gunshot wound to his leg came out of the residence. Emergency medical services treated the victim at the scene and he was then taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre for surgery and treatment.
Police learned there were more people in the home, and deployed the emergency response team, canine unit, and the remotely piloted aircraft system unit.
Officers then cleared the residence, arresting three people and seizing 28.5 grams of fentanyl and an unspecified amount of Canadian currency.
A 22-year-old St. Catharines man has been charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking (suspected fentanyl), and possession of proceeds obtained by crime under $5,000 (money believed to be a result of drug trafficking).
A 16-year-old Whitby youth faces the same charges, as well as a charge of failure to comply with an undertaking. A 15-year-old Ajax youth has been charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm.
All three of the accused are being held in custody and will appear in court on Wednesday (May 1). Police will remain at the scene until the investigation is completed, although they say there are no other suspects and no concern for public safety.
Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts and detective sergeant Josh McGrath held a media conference at the scene on Wednesday afternoon (May 1).
Betts noted that none of the accused have criminal records, although the 16-year-old Whitby youth is currently on bail with conditions for a charge of robbery with a firearm. He said the victim of the shooting is also not from Peterborough and, while that Oshawa man has no criminal record, he is also on bail for a charge of robbery with a firearm and drug trafficking offences.
“Last night’s shooting was a case of violence brought to our city, not violence originating in our city,” Betts said, reiterating that this incident was a housing unit takeover and that anyone who feels victimized or vulnerable should report it to the police, either directly or through Crime Stoppers.
VIDEO: Media conference – May 1, 2024
According to Peterborough-based organization A Question of Care, housing unit takeovers appear to be increasingly gang related and can involve drugs, guns, and human trafficking. They often target vulnerable people. In January, Peterborough police arrested three people in two separate housing unit takeovers.
This is the second shooting incident in the past week at a housing complex operated by the Peterborough Housing Corporation.
Last Friday (April 26), a 32-year-old Peterborough man died of a gunshot wound at the Sunshine Homes housing complex at 572 Crystal Drive. After that incident, police arrested 37-year-old Geoff Riley of Peterborough and charged him with second-degree murder and attempted murder.
“I’d just like to stress again that these shootings are targeted events,” Betts said, pointing out that the victims and perpetrators in both shootings were known to one another. ”
“They were not random acts of violence in our community, and I think that’s important for our citizens to hear and our citizens to know.”
Betts also stressed this incident was not a home invasion, but a housing unit takeover where the people involved in the incident had some kind of relationship with a person or persons living in the residence.
This story has been updated to include updated charges against the accused, and information from the media conference held by Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts.
