DYING OVER DRUGS

Disputes Settled With Violence: Police Chief

Edmonton's drug problem is the driving force behind local gun violence and
it's "out of control," says police Chief Bob Wasylyshen.

Yesterday, the city's top cop said there's a good chance three recent
shooting deaths - including Saturday's daylight gun killing across from a
Clareview playground and another on Walterdale Hill - are all drug-related.

"The drug issue is out of control," he said. "There is such a great market
for drugs that it is inevitable there will be disputes among the dealers
and those disputes will be settled with violence.

"When you talk about organized crime, somewhere in the mix drugs are involved."

Wasylyshen added he believes anti-gang initiatives in Edmonton - including
a gang hotline and community-based programs aimed at steering youth away
from gang culture - are working but police have a long way to go.

"Things would be a lot worse if we hadn't taken these initiatives," he insists.

As the very public gunplay continues to break out, however, the force's
worst fear is that a stray bullet will one day kill an innocent bystander.

"We hope that isn't going to happen. It is my and the service's greatest
concern," said the chief. "I'm concerned at the level of violence we are
seeing in public areas and that firearms are involved."

But despite the two broad-daylight shootings on city streets in recent
weeks, Wasylyshen still believes the danger to the public is small. He
added that good intelligence is the top tool in the battle against gangs.

"We have a lot of information about people involved in these sort of things
(but) one of the problems is that we rarely have advance notice of these
kind of incidents.

"We usually find out after the fact."

On April 24, 19-year-old Terry Whitford was shot dead at the wheel of a car
on Walterdale Hill after a small red car drew up alongside him. Police say
the killing is gang-related and involved drugs.

Two days later, the burned body of city dope dealer Vince Gamboa, 26, was
found in a ditch near Stony Plain. He'd been shot, dumped and torched. And
Saturday, Ikeche James Bates, 21 - arrested for gunplay in 2001 - was shot
dead near Clareview Road and 27 Street as he walked away from a small red
car around 6 p.m.

Last summer, police set up a task force to tackle organized crime in the
city which brought together homicide, gang and drug officers. The gang
hotline, 414-GANG (4264) was also set up to allow people to phone in tips
about gang activity.

Wasylyshen is due to meet the head of the Edmonton Police Commission,
Martin Ignasiak, today to discuss the recent crop of gun violence.

"Like all Edmontonians we are concerned about this," said Ignasiak. "We're
not investigators but we'd like to hear what the chief has to say and what
we can do to help him."