Kamloops Mounties say gang war playing out on city streets has been ongoing since March

UPDATE: 3:34 p.m.

A violent gang war that has prompted a rare public warning from Kamloops Mounties has been ongoing for two months, according to police.

Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley addressed reporters on Thursday afternoon, linking additional recent criminal incidents to the ongoing conflict and pledging the detachment’s “tireless” efforts to bring it to an end.

“We have every available resource working to advance these investigations,” he said.

Four shootings and six arsons, including a number of alleged firebombings involving Molotov cocktails, have been linked to the conflict dating back to March 13.

Pelley said the surge in violence made this week's warning necessary.

“This warning is in place to assist our community in avoiding interactions with two individuals believed to be the targets of future violence," he said.

Timeline of violence

Pelley laid out the following timeline of events investigators have linked to the conflict:

• March 13: Police and firefighters are called to a report of an explosion at a home in the 1700-block of Brunner Avenue. Kamloops Fire Rescue crews contain the blaze to the “targeted unit.” Police later release images of two suspects throwing items into the residence before it caught fire.

• March 19: Mounties are called to investigate an arson in the 200-block of Spruce Avenue, where a fire was lit on a porch.

• March 28: Police are called to investigate another suspicious fire in the 200-block of Spruce Avenue. In this case, a resident told Mounties they woke up to a loud bang, then found their back deck on fire. Investigators suspect Molotov cocktails were used to start the blaze.

• March 30: Firefighters and police respond to another suspicious fire, this time in the 800-block of Valhalla Drive — a home where a woman was shot to death last year. Investigators again suspect Molotov cocktails were used.

• March 30: Mounties and firefighters respond to a suspicious fire at a multi-unit commercial building in the 400-block of Chilcotin Road. Investigators suspect arson.

• April 7: Another suspicious fire is reported in the 200-block of Spruce Avenue, this time targeting an unoccupied vehicle.

• May 2: Police respond to a report of shots fired at a motel on Columbia Street West. No injuries are reported.

• May 3: A home on 10th Street is sprayed with gunfire in a drive-by shooting. No injuries are reported.

• May 4: Mounties respond to a report of shots fired in the 800-block of Sudbury Avenue. No injuries are reported.

• May 6: Shots are fired outside the Ramada hotel on Columbia Street West. One man is taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Cole, Hunt on opposite sides

Mounties on Wednesday identified two men as being at the centre of the conflict — Justin Christopher Hunt, 25, and Cameron Ronald Cole, 40.

According to Pelley, the two men are on either side of the dispute.

“The two individuals that we’ve identified, we believe to be in conflict with each other,” he said.

Castanet Kamloops asked Pelley whether Cole’s recent arrest had anything to do with the surge in violence.

“We were well aware of a lengthy investigation that was ongoing prior to this increase in violence,” he said.

“And again, we’re assessing all the facts as we move ahead, but there were a number of events prior to the arrest of and charge of Mr. Cole.”

Cole had serious charges against him dropped in 2020, when he was alleged to have been at or near the top of one of two criminal organizations operating in Kamloops. Shane Cameron, who was arrested alongside Cole earlier this month, recently served a three-year prison sentence for his part in a grisly gangland mutilation in 2018.

'We are working tirelessly'

Pelley said police are very worried about the safety of both Cole and Hunt, as well as the general public.

“To the citizens of Kamloops, we are working tirelessly to suppress, disrupt and enforce the law, and hold those involved in the illegal drug trafficking trade to account,” he said.

“To the drug traffickers, let me be clear — the violence and the sale and distribution of illegal drugs will be met with consequences. We will find you, we will arrest you and you will be held accountable for your actions."

Pelley said the conflict is at the top of the detachment’s list of priorities.

“There is no place for drug trafficking, violence and disregard for human life in our city, and we will do everything we can to keep our streets safe,” he said.

“Our officers are vigilant, our resolve is unwavering and we will not relent in our pursuit of justice and community safety.”

Anyone with information about the conflict can call police at 250-828-3000.

Photo: Michael Potestio

Evidence markers sit behind police tape on Tuesday morning outside the Ramada hotel on Columbia Street West, the scene of the latest shooting police say is part of an ongoing conflict between drug dealers.

ORIGINAL STORY: 12:01 p.m.

Kamloops Mounties are slated to provide an update and answer questions Thursday afternoon about an ongoing street conflict that has prompted a rare public warning following a series of brazen shootings and arsons.

Police said they are investigating four shootings over a five-day span in the last week, as well as a series of suspicious fires and other incidents allegedly connected to an ongoing conflict between rival drug dealers.

Earlier this week, Mounties cautioned the public about “an increased risk to safety” given the brazen nature of the attacks — one of which involved a “misidentified target” — and that message was reiterated in a news release Wednesday in which two men were identified as being at risk due to the ongoing conflict.

Police said the uptick in violence centres around Justin Christopher Hunt, 25, and Cameron Ronald Cole, 40.

Castanet Kamloops plans to stream the news conference live here at 2 p.m., and this story will be updated when more information is known.