London Police are investigating six shootings across the city over a 72-hour span, a cluster of violence that officers say is connected to an ongoing dispute between two local street groups.
Between Friday and early Monday morning, six homes in neighbourhoods including Gatewood Road, Rhine Avenue, Primrose Court, Banbury Road and Kipps Lane were struck by gunfire. Police say no one was injured.
Deputy Chief Paul Bastien said these shootings are alarming, but investigators do not believe they were random.
“My reaction, like a lot of other people, was shock and disappointment,” he said in an interview. “But as a police officer, the immediate focus was making sure we had people in place to stop the violence, start making arrests, and hold people accountable.”
Police say the targeted nature of the incidents is meant to reassure residents that homes were not chosen at random, though Bastien emphasized the seriousness of the violence. He noted that a single stray bullet is enough to cause harm, even when the intended target is not a member of the public.
The intense period of gunfire comes as London’s broader crime picture moves in the opposite direction. The London Police Service’s most recent annual report shows that the city had two consecutive years of decline in the Crime Severity Index. The report states London saw “the largest reduction in the Crime Severity Index in Ontario and across Canada” in 2024.
Bastien says that context matters, but the shootings remain a significant concern.
“Overall, we’ve seen two years of decline in the Crime Severity Index, but this year has gone the other direction, and in this case we saw six shootings in seventy-two hours,” he said. “It’s an anomaly, an alarming one, and it shows we still have work to do.”
Two suspects were arrested early Monday after police spotted a stolen black Jeep Cherokee believed to be connected to one of the shootings. Officers recovered a .22-calibre firearm and say additional arrests are likely as the investigation continues.
Police have set up a dedicated tip line and are urging anyone with dash-cam, residential or business surveillance footage to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact London Police or Crime Stoppers.
