LOCAL
by Danny Aubry
Twelve Ottawa police officers have been temporarily reassigned to the guns and gang unit, as the force struggles to deal with an increase in the number of shootings over the past three weeks.
According to CTV News, Ottawa’s police chief, Charles Bordeleau, says that he has requested 25 additional officers in the 2016 budget to permanently increase the officers assigned to the guns and gangs unit.
Bordeleau noted that additional officers were assigned to the force’s direct action response team on a temporary basis last year, when there was a significant increase in crimes committed by street gangs.
The gunman who allegedly killed three people and wounded nine others at an abortion clinic in Colorado Springs has been told he could be sentenced to death after a court appearance on Monday.
According to the Globe and Mail, Robert Lewis Dear is facing numerous charges including first-degree murder.
If convicted, Dear will face either a minimum penalty of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
A police officer was among the three deaths in the shooting.