KAMLOOPS — Police say one man has died after being shot in Brocklehurst on Friday.
The victim, Jason Glover, was one of two people shot on Feb. 15. Kamloops RCMP say they responded to a shooting at a North Shore home, and both victims are part of the local drug trade.
Glover died from his injuries, but police haven’t said when he died. The second victim has not been identified and her condition is not known.
This is the city’s third homicide of this year, and is the most recent in a string of violent, drug-involved crime in the city.
Both Kamloops RCMP and city officials have said the general public is not at risk. At the same time, police are now saying they’re exploring that the Jan. 23 homicide death of Penticton man Rex Gill may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Both Gill and Cody Marcel Mathieu were killed in separate shooting events last month — both occurring at local motels.
Mathieu was a participant in the local drug trade and police say they’ve identified suspects in the case.
Police say the recent violence stems from the homicide of Troy Gold, a local prolific criminal who was reported missing Oct. 3. RCMP say suspects have been identified in the case and the investigation is “progressing.”
RCMP also pointed out other high-profile, but not directly related, incidents in recent past. That includes a massive police presence in December 2018 during the execution of a search warrant.
On Dec. 6 of that year, the Southeast District’s Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at a downtown business — the conclusion of a year-long investigation stemming from a search warrant at a home on Badger Drive.
Cameron Cole and Charles Patrick were arrested and face numerous charges each, including firearms, weapons and property offences.
The day before the latest shooting in the city, Kamloops RCMP began investigating a kidnapping case. The investigation lasted nearly a fully day and spanned from Kamloops to Kelowna.
As for why these incidents are happening, police say the opioid crisis and the local drug tade are the biggest factors.
“It is not safe to be a drug trafficker in Kamloops right now,” RCMP say. “The group who is supplying your drugs today may be the same ones who will kill you tomorrow. You know who is doing the violence. It’s time to contact the police.”
Police say they are working aggressively on these investigations, and trying to identify and target those with ties to ongoing gang conflicts.
“We recognize that recent acts of violence are concerning for the residents in our community and the Kamloops RCMP is committed to identifying those responsible. While we cannot say there is no risk to the general public, we can say that each of the incidents appear to be targeted,” police say.
