Bottom line: RCMP say the latest Fort St. John shooting is believed to be targeted and no one was hurt. That does not make bullet holes in homes and vehicles a tolerable baseline for a B.C. neighbourhood.

CBC reported August 6 that Fort St. John RCMP are investigating what police believe was another targeted drive-by shooting in the northeastern B.C. city. Officers were called shortly after 1:30 a.m. Thursday to a residential multiplex across from a seniors apartment building near downtown Fort St. John.

Police said bullet holes were found in a travel trailer, two neighbouring homes and a vehicle. No occupants or bystanders were injured, according to RCMP. Const. Christiaan Dreyer told CBC the incident was believed to be targeted. That wording matters: “targeted” is a police assessment, not a conviction, and CBC reported police had no suspects or vehicle descriptions at the time of the story.

But “targeted” cannot become a comfort phrase for government. A targeted shooting can still send rounds into neighbouring homes. It can still terrify seniors, families and workers who had nothing to do with the target. It can still tell a community that violent actors are willing to use residential streets as a backdrop for gunfire.

CBC also reported this was the second drive-by shooting in Fort St. John in recent weeks, after a July 22 incident in a different neighbourhood led to one arrest. RCMP said resources, including the serious crimes unit and street enforcement team, were being focused on a recent spike in gun violence in the city.

Premier David Eby’s public-safety message often lands hardest when the examples are from Surrey, Vancouver or other Lower Mainland headlines. Fort St. John is a reminder that northern communities need the same seriousness: police capacity, prosecution follow-through, bail monitoring, victim support, and fast public reporting on whether violent repeat offenders are being identified and contained.

The province should produce a northern public-safety scorecard, not another vague assurance. Fort St. John residents deserve to know how many recent gunfire incidents have occurred, how many files have led to charges, how long prosecutions are taking, what bail conditions are being imposed, whether accused persons have prior violent histories, and what provincial supports are reaching local RCMP and municipal leaders.

This is not about pretending Victoria can solve every police file overnight. It is about refusing to let distance from the Lower Mainland become distance from accountability. When gunfire hits homes near downtown Fort St. John, the question for Eby’s government is simple: what measurable help is arriving, and when will residents see results?

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