Nanaimo RCMP attended a home on Hillcrest Ave. early Monday, Jan. 17 after reports of shots being fired. No injuries resulted from the incident however several arrests were made. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

gunfire

Several arrests made after shots fired at Nanaimo home known to police

Jan 17, 2022 | 11:14 AM

NANAIMO — Six people were arrested after shots were reportedly fired in a home early Monday morning.

An extensive police response saw multiple cruisers and officers descend to a home in the 300 block of Hillcrest Ave. just after 6:40 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17.

Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the home is well known to them.

“There’s a propensity for violence for the people who are associated to that home. We think the underlying tone is there’s a drug angle.”

All six people remain in police custody while officers have secured the home and are preparing a judicial authorization in order to go inside.

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No injuries were reported from the shooting and O’Brien was unable to say how many shots were fired.

“We want to assure the public that everybody has been removed from that home and charges when appropriate will be laid.”

The house is located just off Wakesiah Ave., near Nanaimo District Secondary School.

O’Brien said police were at the home the day before the incident due to disturbance issues.

April Schneider lives in a neighbouring housing complex. She heard the gunfire, adding police are constantly at the home.

“There’s cops there everyday,” Schneider said on scene. “I want that house condemned or something done, because it doesn’t feel safe for the children that are around. There’s children playing all the time, it’s just a dangerous house, it needs to go.”

Schneider said the people associated with the property present a community safety risk.

“There’s lots of housing complexes that have children, there’s houses. What if a child was outside and there was a shooting and a bullet hit the child?”

307 Hillcrest Ave. was originally intended to be re-zoned with two other properties and transformed into a mix use student housing complex. However, the project is proceeding on a smaller footprint at 326 Wakesiah Ave, which received a development permit last year.

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