Shay, who can’t be named due to fear of gang violence, can’t stop thinking about the friend she lost on Aug. 16 in a northeast Edmonton shooting.
“It’s been a hard time actually grasping the fact that she’s gone. I hadn’t seen her in awhile, so subconsciously, in my head, she’s taking a break from (social media), or hanging out with people,” said Shay.
“I haven’t fully come to grips that she’s gone, and I think all her friends feel the same way.”
Police responded to reports of a shooting near 139 Avenue and 32 Street on Sunday morning. There, they found the girl, who was seriously injured and died upon the arrival of emergency personnel.
On Wednesday, police charged a 16-year-old male with second-degree murder in relation to the girl’s death, and police confirmed that the girl died of a gunshot wound, after completion of an autopsy.
“She was so sweet. She never let me go by without giving me a compliment. I’d see her at a party, and she’d always say how pretty I was. She always found ways to compliment all her friends.”
For Shay, the tragedy carries an especially painful twist. The teenager accused of killing her friend is also Shay’s relative. She said she hadn’t spoken to or seen him in several years, and is angry knowing one of her own family members could do such a thing.
“How did he even get a gun? The drugs and weapons dealers in this city, they all need to be charged. These types of people need to be in jail,” said Shay.
“We’re all trying to find out the root cause, but I don’t think he will give us the root cause.”
Gang violence on the rise
Police have yet to confirm the details surrounding the case, but Dan Jones, former EPS officer and head of the justice studies department at Norquest College believes this case to be gang-related.
He said gang violence tends to ebb and flow, and currently Edmonton looks to seeing a bigger increase in gang-related violence and crimes.
Jones said today’s gang violence and crime is a lot different from what was prevalent in the late 90s and early 2000s.
“In the 2000s you saw this massive gang activity and a bunch of work was done, and a bunch of people got arrested and then people aged out, and it slows down, and now you’re starting to see that spike again,” said Jones.
Jones said the idea of finances, money, belonging, power and that thought of protection is what draws particularly many youths into gang life, and he feels more needs to be done from all areas to help get youth out of gangs.
“It ebbs and flows with economy and societal issues,” said Jones.
“Police, society and educators need to be aware of these things. That’s where prevention is important in getting these youth out of these situations before it becomes catastrophic like murdering somebody. It ends up destroying two lives.”
Victim often not the target
Jones said throughout his time as a police officer, he recalls many situations where a rival gang member is the target and their girlfriend ends up getting killed.
“When you’re around it, and associated to it and in those spaces, violence can come, and it can come at any time, and it’s devastating to families, devastating to communities and to the city,” said Jones.
Shay said seeing the increase in gang violence in Edmonton makes her scared. She recalled one time going downtown with one of her siblings and a complete stranger pulled a gun on the two of them.
Despite her fears, Shay is doing her best to stand up and speak out about gang violence.
“I call the cops… I’ve become a professional cop caller. I don’t care how mad people get. I’m not about to have someone pull a gun on me for no reason,” said Shay.
Jones believes police agencies need to continue to develop relationships with these gangs and gang leaders, to keep the levels of crime down.
“It’s a different style of policing, but you can’t always be the adversary, sometimes you have to be that bridge point and sounding board,” said Jones.
“It’s not just relational policing with your pro social communities. It means with everyone, whether that’s gang members, sex workers, drug dealers or pimps. Relationships are important and that’s how policing can have a more impactful role in those spaces.”
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