Waterloo shooting called ‘organized crime’ by police chief

It was about a month ago when Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) opened an investigation after shots were fired and a man was injured in an attempted robbery in Waterloo.

Officers received reports of multiple gunshots coming from the area of Fisher Hallman Road and Erb Street West, around 2:30 a.m. on May 13.

According to police, multiple suspects approached two employees of an armoured truck company outside a Scotiabank in the area.

One of the employees, a 40-year-old man, was shot and taken to hospital with a serious gunshot wound. The other employee was not injured.

At the time, police said investigators were combing over security camera footage to identify four potential suspects.

WRPS Chief Mark Crowell was a guest on The Mike Farwell Show for the monthly Ask the Chief segment, where he provided an update on the investigation.

“This is brazen, it is targeted, and it is of significant concern,” said Crowell.

He went on to say it’s been a while since WRPS have dealt with an incident like this.

“I asked our leadership team to look back, and we don’t recall something like this in recent memory. Can’t say it hasn’t happened in the past, say, decade. But it is unusual for this to occur and it is of concern.”

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Crowell explained they keep close tabs on these types of crimes.

“This is something we’ll be tracking not only for Waterloo Region but across Ontario as well.”

And that’s for a specific purpose.

“This is organized crime. This is something that was planned, and it was a specific opportunity to conduct an armed robbery,” said Crowell. “We don’t use this language very often because it doesn’t occur very often where a bank or guards are encountered in this way, especially with the discharge of a firearm. This is a top concern for us.”

According to the WRPS, there have been five shootings in the region so far this year. Over the past five years, the municipality has averaged 20 shootings a year.