Can residents of the Battlefords breathe a little easier?
Consternation, fear and vocal calls for action erupted in the wake of two shootings in North Battleford last year.
Subsequent court proceedings have revealed the shootings that occurred on May 25 and Sept. 1 were gang related, and last week Justin Fineday was assessed an 11-year jail sentence for his role in those shootings.
It was revealed in court last week that gang rivalry between the Native Syndicate and the Terror Squad was at the root of the shootings. The May 25 incident was described as a "drive-by" shooting in which the victim turned out to not be the intended target. The person shot was not the member of the Native Syndicate targeted by Fineday, who fired the shots from a van.
The Sept. 1 shooting stemmed from an altercation on the street between Fineday, co-accused Valen Nicotine, a youth and three other individuals. In court it was reported shouts of "Terror Squad" were reported by witnesses during that altercation.
With one individual responsible for two notorious crimes behind bars for a decade, can residents rest a little easier? It's hard to give a resounding "yes" to that question, but perhaps his conviction does illustrate one aspect of the crime situation in this community.
Violent gang activity is being perpetrated by a small core of individuals. I say "small" because that group is measured against the overall population of the Battlefords of around 23,000. And it is a group of people who prey upon one another. Seemingly random crime is nothing of the sort. It is one gang pitting itself against another.
The number of law-abiding persons in this community far outweighs the violent offenders, and now one of those offenders is behind bars for a long stretch of time.
I say this is a victory for the good guys, and with continued vigilance and action we work to prevent any more innocent people getting caught in the crossfire.
