Picture of White Dodge outside of SCS early Sat. Aug. 24 (Photo Courtesy LPS)

By Lara Fominoff

PAINTBALL SHOOTING

Lethbridge Police investigating incident outside of SCS early Saturday morning, as mayor condemns violence

Aug 25, 2019 | 8:36 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge Police are investigating an incident involving someone or some people shooting paintball guns early Saturday (Aug. 24) morning at those outside of the city’s Supervised Consumption Site (SCS), as the city released an official statement condemning the violence.

Police say just after midnight, a white Dodge truck drove past the SCS on 1 Ave. S., and fired multiple paintballs at several people. Police say those who were targeted were not injured.

The suspect vehicle is described as a white, newer model (possibly 2017-2018) Dodge Quad cab with a hard top box cover, black rims and a stock “RAM” emblem across the back tailgate.

Because of the distance and speed of the moving truck, police could not get its license plate number.

Mayor Chris Spearman and the City of Lethbridge have issued a special statement on the incident, referencing recent protests and controversy at City Hall. Here is a portion of that statement:

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“Recently, the issue of harm reduction has caused debate and been divisive in our community.

Peaceful protest and freedom of speech are cornerstones of our society.

We as City Council respect democracy, but condemn violent acts against anyone at ARCHES.

These people are residents in our community who are simply doing their jobs. There is no place for violence in our community.”

Anyone with information on what may have happened early Saturday morning, or who may be responsible is asked to contact Lethbridge Police at 403-328-4444 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

UPDATE: ARCHES has also issued a statement on the incident early Sat. morning. This is the statement in full:

“Last night we saw the worst of our community. A staff and multiple clients were fired upon by a truck which shot paintballs at them at very close range. While thankfully no serious injuries were sustained, this situation would have been terrifying in the middle of the night, not knowing what was being fired out of a barely cracked truck window.
While this is the most extreme instance, this is the fourth occasion of harassment and/or assault on agency staff over the past week. It is discouraging to know that this is the reaction of a very few, upon not having had the results they were hoping for following Monday’s Council vote. We are concerned that things may escalate further than they already have.

Lethbridge, enough is enough. The inflammatory rhetoric on social media has to stop. The “us vs them” mentality has to stop. We are all members of the same community, and we are all fighting the same battles, with the same end goals at heart (even if we differ in our methods).

Love is the way ❤️.”