By Jill Sperling

Kamloops mayor says visitors to Tournament Capital are safe despite recent violence

Feb 21, 2019 | 3:40 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian says he has been in constant contact with the city’s RCMP Superintendent following a rash of high-profile police incidents in the city. 

Since January, three people have died as a result of shootings linked to the drug trade and organized crime. 

Police believe one of the victims, Rex Gill, may have been killed due to a case of mistaken identity, which begs the question of whether the public is at risk in these very public incidents. 

“That’s what we’re always concerned about in terms of this kind of violence starting to occur in public places and you see these kinds of innocent victims that can be caught in the crossfire as it were, so that’s a concern,” Christian said. “We have additional resources brought into the Kamloops detachment now, plus every woman and man in our detachment is working around the clock on these files.”

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Gill and a second victim, Cody Mathieu, were shot at separate hotels on January 23. 

While motels and hotels have been at the centre of a number of drug related incidents, Christian says he does not feel there is a reason for visitors to the Tournament Capital to be concerned. 

“I think we need to look on a national level that this drug crisis that we’re currently in the midst of happens everywhere, but right now in Kamloops it’s a very unstable environment if you are in the drug trade,” Christian said. 

“That’s the message. As for the average hockey player, or basketball player, I have no concerns for their safety. I think that Kamloops is a safe and wonderful city and we’d encourage them to come.”