A Calgary criminologist is concerned about a disturbing trend now that Calgary police are investigating a recent spike in gun violence in the city.

Police say there have been five shootings in less than a week, with the most recent happening on Sunday morning in the 4000 block of 104 Avenue in an industrial area.

“This is all taking place out in the public,” Mount Royal University professor of justice studies Doug King says. “You can get people injured, bystander shootings, bystanders’ injuries and things like that, so it is a disturbing trend.”

Sunday’s shooting marked the fourth since Friday morning. Police say two of those shootings happened in the Forest Lawn and Beltline areas on Friday, which happened to be National Day Against Gun Violence while shots rang out in East Village on Saturday.

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Police are also investigating a shooting on Wednesday at Connaught Park that saw one person suffer severe injuries.

In a statement, Calgary police say “it’s concerning to see that firearm related incidents continue to happen across Calgary, causing real harm and fear in our communities.”

King says the impacts of that harm and fear can be seen in real time.

“When you walked by the park the next day, it was empty. And it usually is packed with people, oftentimes people with substance use disorders and homelessness,” King says. “So they’re shying away from it too. So, I think that’s one of the most concerning things. It raises the fear of crime.”

King says that while the spike in shootings positions Calgary to see an upward trend compared with last year, when gun violence was the lowest it had been since 2021, it’s still too soon to tell.

“All of a sudden we’re getting what looks like a little bit of a spike but that could easily disappear for the rest of the year,” King says.

Calgary police say they are “committed to addressing gun violence, relying on the public to report information that helps keep everyone safe.”

Anyone with information on any of the recent shootings is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

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