4 Regina homes shot at in March; no easy answer as to why

Regina residents were roused from sleep by the sounds of shots and shattering glasson March 1 on the 1300 block of Empress Street.

On March9, it happened again, only this time it was on the 100 block of Ottawa Street.

Fourhomes have been shot at in Regina since thebeginning of the month.

People who are charged with anoffencearen't required to tell police or the courts why they did what they did, so police say it'sdifficult to know why people are shooting at homes.

"Sometimes it's just boredom, sometimes it's poor decision-making fuelled by alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes they are acting out at someone believed to be in the house," said a Regina Police Service spokesperson in an email.

It's a pretty complicated situation currently in our inner city involving drugs and gangs.- SpurgeonRoot,director ofRegina Gang Exit Network

Thespokesperson said that each incident is investigated differently. For example, if a shooting happens late at night, there could be forensic evidence, but no witnesses. In other circumstances, police can piece together what happened from multiple witnesses.

"Sometimes, it's months later and somebody brags about it. There's no expiry date on investigations so even cases that have gone 'quiet' for a bit can be concluded with new information."

The gang factor

One common factor that could be considered is thechanging nature of the inner city,said Regina Gang Exit Network directorSpurgeonRoot.

"Some of the old rules have changed within the gangs some of the expectations of what you can do and who can do it," he said.

Root said repercussions from gangs that used to deter people before might not exist anymore. Furthermore, alliances and the gangs themselveshave changed.

But Root said shooting incidents aren't always gang-related, even if there are gang affiliated members involved.

"It might be, but it also might be ...that some kid with some kind of an affiliation got a hold of gun, watched a movie and thought it would be a great idea to shoot some stuff up."

However, it could spin off into gang related activity if someone decides to retaliate.

Root said drug consumptionand dealinghabits have also changed as more people are using crystal meth.

"It reduces inhibitions and sort of ups your energy level, right?" he said, noting it also increases users' desperation.