A 17-year-old boy is in serious, but stable condition and a 14-year-old boy has been released from hospital after a shooting on the 700 block of Athol Street in the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 13.
In connection with the shooting, 20-year-old Taurell Antonio Alexson along with five teenagers were charged in court with attempted murder, unauthorized possession of a firearm and pointing of a firearm, on the morning of Nov. 14.
Bill Bufton and his wife live beside the house where the shooting occurred. Bufton says they heard “loud party noises” and what they believed to be gunshots. According to Bufton, the house had been rented out just recently and so they know little about its occupants.
A few doors down from the Bufton’s, Robert and Laura Kline live with their young son and Laura’s 15 year-old daughter. Laura talks about how life in her neighborhood is impacted by incidents like these.
“My daughter is 15, and her favourite pastime is to go to that park up on the corner and swing. She listens to her music and she’s just far enough away that you can’t see her. When stuff like this happens it makes you wonder whether you’re being a responsible parent by letting her go.”
Robert remembers living in the same area as a kid.
“You used to be able to run around and play, go to the park, play ‘till seven or eight and go home,” Robert says. “You never had a problem.”
Robert feels incidents like these have become more frequent since he moved back to Regina in 1999. According to Regina Police Service crime statistics, arms offenses are up in North Central - where the 700 block of Athol is located. There were four arms offenses in 2014, zero in 2015, and 63 as of August 2016.
Although the Kline’s have never been directly affected by a shooting, Laura said the effects of crime are never far away.
“It sounds sad, but it’s like a cancer. Everybody’s got somebody in their life whether it’s a brother, sister, mother, aunt, uncle, friend, whatever, that’s been touched by it.”
Laura also feels like more could be done in the area to discourage crime, but poverty and neglect may be getting in the way.
“This area is a low income area, it would help greatly if everybody had porch lights that were on all the time,” says Laura. “Well lots of people don’t want to do that because they can’t afford it or the landlords don’t replace the lights.”
Regina Police Service says the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
