By Ashley Legassic

Provincial gang unit in Kamloops to deter ‘any further violence’

Jan 25, 2019 | 3:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — BC’s anti-gang unit is making its presence known in Kamloops after two homicides on Wednesday.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny is with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). She says the unit went out to Kamloops after two men were shot and killed in separate locations on Jan. 23.

“Any time that there is any kind of violence such as what happened in Kamloops on Wednesday, we would support our partner agencies and make sure that we attend and support them in any way we can to mitigate any further violence associated,” Winpenny says. “Not unlike other communities in the province, Kamloops is not immune to the low-level, dial-a-dope, street drug trade or organized crime situations.”

Rex Gill, 41, from Penticton was killed after being shot at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Aberdeen on Wednesday, and 31-year-old Cody Mathieu was shot at the Super 8 motel in Valleyview less than two hours before.

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Later on, a car was found burning in the Barnhartvale area.

In a news conference yesterday, police said Mathieu had been known to Kamloops police, but Gill wasn’t. 

There are currently no suspects in custody, but Insp. Steve McLeod said more than 50 investigators are currently working on these files.

Winpenny couldn’t comment on the current organized crime situation in Kamloops, including any groups that are currently in the city or any gangs that may have increased their presence.

While police play a major role in solving these investigations and disrupting organized crime, Winpenny says the public can play a part, too.

“It’s important for the public to know and be aware of their surroundings,” she says. “If they see something suspicious, people sitting in cars oddly late at night, lights off that type of thing or odd behaviour, by all means call your local police station and ensure that you report that kind of activity and to ensure that we’re all taking part in ensuring that our communities are safe.”

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jodi Shelkie couldn’t comment on any potential gang ties either victim may have had, and also couldn’t say how large the presence of certain organized crime groups is in the city.

“People associated to organized crime travel a great deal,” she says. “The duration of their stay in a community fluctuates. We can’t speculate on the number of people associated to criminal activity in Kamloops at any given time.”