Photo: High Prairie RCMP

By Shaun Penner

Replica firearms

High Prairie RCMP seeing “concerning trend” in calls involving replica firearms

May 22, 2020 | 11:59 AM

Police in High Prairie are seeing what they are calling a “concerning trend” in a recent rash of reports of individuals carrying and displaying replica firearms in public.

High Prairie RCMP note between April 16 and May 19 of this year, they have responded to three unrelated calls of individuals believed to be carrying a firearm, but were later deemed to be replicas.

Though these situations did not lead to any injuries, RCMP are wanting the public to heed the warning that police situations that they believe to involve firearms can have a much more serious outcome.

“We are thankful none of these incidents resulted in injury to members of the public or police,” said Staff Sergeant Warren Wright, Detachment Commander of the High Prairie RCMP. “Replica firearms should not be brought into public as they are not toys and these incidents heighten public safety concerns for all when police respond.”

The first incident occurred on April 16 just before 8 p.m., when police responded to multiple 911 calls about a man walking in the area of 53 Avenue and 52 Street in High Prairie with what was believed to be a sawed-off shotgun. RCMP allege the suspect was pointing the gun at people, vehicles and businesses.

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RCMP found the man and arrested him without incident. It was determined at that time the gun was a replica Remington shotgun air pistol.

(Photo: High Prairie RCMP)

Officers investigated the case further, and 28-year-old Joshua Maurice Dumont has since been charged with:

• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
• Assault with a weapon (x3)
• Criminal harassment (x2)
• Disturbing the peace

Dumont has been remanded into custody and is slated to appear in High Prairie Provincial Court on June 15.

Then, on May 9 just after midnight, High Prairie RCMP were called to a report of a man believed to be carrying a handgun and acting strangely in the area of 52 Avenue and 48 Street. The man was arrested without incident as police located him, but police say a search of the man and surrounding area turned up no handgun or replica.

However, 30-year-old Vincent Edward Willier of Gift Lake Metis Settlement was charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking as police investigated the incident. Willier has been remanded into custody and is to appear in High Prairie Provincial Court on June 1.

The third report came to High Prairie RCMP on May 19 at around 2:35 p.m. about a woman allegedly showing a handgun to a contracted employee of a school in the 46 Street and 53 Avenue area.

RCMP found the woman in a nearby business, where she was arrested and brought into custody. Police determined the woman was carrying a replica Smith & Wesson handgun.

Nineteen-year-old Latoya Catherine Giroux of High Prairie is now facing a charge of disturbing the peace and is slated to appear in court on September 28.

“These matters are taken very seriously and these replicas are treated as a firearm until proven otherwise,” reads a statement from the RCMP. “This concerning trend has led to a need to bring this to the attention of the public in an effort to provide education.”