Proportion of 2023 gun-related homicides highest in Calgary’s history

Calgary police say of all the homicides that happened in 2023, 57 per cent were caused by shootings.

The proportional figure is the highest in the city’s history, according to a report to the Calgary Police Commission, with 2022 not much different at 56 per cent.

There were 21 homicides in Calgary in 2023, and 12 were the result of shootings.

Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld calls it a “big problem.”

“Violence in the community has been a big concern for Calgarians and from year to year in a big city it will continue to be a big concern,” he said.

“The service has been working very hard to get a handle on that, and we will continue to do that.”

Among those killed by gunshots in 2023 was 15-year-old Sarah Jorquera, who was shot in an alley in Martindale. Police said at the time her death may have been a case of mistaken identity.

In addition, 58-year-old Ali Shaiet was shot and killed in northeast Pineridge. Officers stated he may been shot through the window of his home.

Police say there are two concerning trends surrounding gun violence in Calgary: an increase in break-and-enters resulting in the theft of firearms, and a large jump in smuggled firearms.

Between 2021 and 2023, Calgary police say they saw a 213 per cent increase in smuggled firearms, a trend they expect will continue.

Mount Royal University criminologist Doug King says a majority of firearms-related offences involve the use of illegal firearms, and the federal government needs to step up more to control the flow of illegal firearms coming into the country.

“Most of them are coming in from the United States but many of them are also coming in through the ports of Vancouver and the port of Montreal,” he told CityNews.

“About 20 years ago the federal government dissolved the port police, and the result of that was in essence the ports are now having to struggle with organized crime bringing stuff in.”

King says the volume of illegal firearms entering the country is the highest it’s ever been.

That’s why he says communities across Canada are seeing a rise in gun violence, not just in Calgary, citing a recent report from Statistics Canada.

“Calgary was kind of a moderate increase of five per cent. Edmonton was an increase of 25 per cent and Toronto was over 20 per cent. So this is not a Calgary unique situation,” King said.

In an effort to combat gun crime, the federal government’s Bill C-21 came into effect near the end of 2023. King says there are some potential positives with the legislation including more money for Canada Border Services and more intelligence liaisons with the United States.

But there are other aspects of the bill that he doesn’t think will make much of a difference, like the buy-back program which targets licenced gun owners.

“That will not do anything to solve the firearms problems in Canada. Sure there may be one or two instances where it may resolve something. but we are talking illegal firearms, ” King said.

King says local police forces are doing their best to try to combat gun violence in their communities and it’s important to give credit when credit is due. But he reiterated fixing the problem ultimately rests with the federal government.

Efforts to combat gun violence in the city were noted in the latest crime report for Calgary Police.

Last year police recorded 100 shootings in the city. That figure is down 21 per cent from 2022 but is still six per cent above the five-year average.

Twenty-three of the shootings are confirmed to be connected to organized crime, according to police.

After six continuous years of seeing an increase in the presence or perceived presence of firearms, officers saw a 13 percent decline towards the end of 2023.

“Over the past several years we have dedicated a significant amount of resources into addressing gun violence in Calgary and this decrease shows that our collective efforts are working,” the report stated.