UPDATE 4pm — The RCMP in Merritt have shut down a section of Nicola Avenue in the city.
BREAKING NEWS!
RCMP has shut down the 1700 block of Nicola Avenue. Residents should anticipate a major police presence in the area. RCMP have requested the public to stay away from the area. RCMP News: https://t.co/C4rOc98RZ7 pic.twitter.com/AAtp2WDPHN— City of Merritt (@CityofMerritt) November 18, 2022
It’s unclear what the lockdown is for.
Merritt’s Mayor, Mike Goetz, says the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – the RCMP’s gang squad – arrived in Merritt Friday on the heels of an early morning shooting — the second of the week.
Goetz says he’s under the belief this is gang activity operating out of Merritt – a convenient hub for moving drugs to either Kamloops or Kelowna.
“We really have had zero gang situations in this town up to this point. So, I’m assuming this is something that started somewhere else and has gravitated here,” he said on NL Newsday.
UPDATE 10:15 a.m. – RCMP in Merritt say another early-morning targeted shooting in the Nicola Valley city is likely connected to the massive shooting earlier in the week.
Mounties say no one was hit after reports of shots being fired in the 2100-block of Priest Avenue, just before 6 a.m. Friday.
Sgt. Josh Roda says witnesses reported a mid-90s grey Dodge Ram with a maroon box in the area at the time of the shooting. That truck, he says, fled the scene and was then found burned on the outskirts of the city around 8 a.m., near the Highway 5 and Highway 5A on-ramp
Investigators believe the truck had been stolen about 20 minutes earlier from an address in the 1700-block of Granite Avenue, about 1 km away from where shots were fired.
“We strongly believe that this incident is associated to the ongoing investigation to the shooting that occurred earlier this week,” Roda said, in a statement.
“Fortunately there have been no reports of injuries from the shooting, and investigators are continuing their tireless efforts to identify and apprehend the suspects in these brazen events. Investigators continue to canvass the area for witnesses and residential video.”
“It’s believed that the truck was stolen solely for the purpose of the shooting,” Roda added, noting police believe the truck was stolen around 5:30 this morning.
Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz told NL News there were around 100 rounds fired early Tuesday morning, though in that incident, no one was hit either. He also says that first incident was likely connected to the local drug trade.
Roda says Mounties have identified possible suspects in the first shooting – but have yet to make any arrests.
He’s also asking business owners and residents to reach out if they have surveillance footage of the truck, the shooting, or the aftermath to reach out to police, as it may “be crucial” to identifying the suspect(s) in this morning’s shooting.
Those with information are being told to call the Merritt RCMP Detachment at 250-378-4262.
More to come…