Man in custody after two gun calls on Cavan Street in Nanaimo on Monday

Violent crime severity index in Nanaimo at an all-time high

A flare gun converted to fire 22 calibre bullets was one of two weapons seized by Nanaimo RCMP on Monday morning near Cavan Street. Photo courtesy of the RCMP.

Early Monday morning half a dozen police cars raced, sirens blaring, to a report of a man with a gun on Cavan Street in downtown Nanaimo.

Sophie Jackson was just arriving to work when she saw a conflict break out between two groups of men in the street outside of her law office.

“I saw a big group of guys and another man on the other side of the street yelling threats at each other, [shouting] racial slurs at the guy with the gun,” she said. “The guy loaded the gun and was pointing it at them. There was a lot of screaming and by this point I was on the phone with 911.”

The RCMP arrested two people at the scene and an airsoft pistol was found in a grocery bag but police could not establish who owned it or if it had been pointed at anyone.

“The person closest to it though we assumed he owned it, that person had warrants outstanding for their arrest, and that he was taken into custody,” said Nanaimo RCMP constable Gary O’Brien.

A 19-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on an outstanding warrant for assault causing bodily harm and a second man who police describe as being “extremely agitated” was taken into custody and released several hours later after he sobered up.

An airsoft replica firearm was one of two weapons seized by Nanaimo RCMP on Monday morning near Cavan Street. Photo courtesy of the RCMP.

Around 10:30 a.m. police were told that a handgun was spotted in a vehicle in the same area with several people in the car.

“There was a strong response on our side,” said Cst. O’Brien. “All the people removed safely from the car, and an individual was arrested. It was determined that he was in possession of a converted flare gun that could shoot 22 calibre bullets.”

29-year-old Ron Ardnt, who is known to police, was charged with possession of a restricted firearm and other firearm offences. He was denied bail and remains in custody until his next court date on Monday, July 31.

According to O’Brien the two incidents are not connected, nor are they linked to gang activity.

“What we're seeing now is a lot of people on the streets are carrying converted firearms and it's extremely dangerous,” he said. “That's why when we respond to these calls, we do so with sufficient numbers to ensure our safety and everybody else.”

O’Brien says that the majority of the issues are concentrated in problem areas and are not affecting the downtown as a whole.

“The overall downtown area is not impacted,” said O’Brien. “So it's relatively safe to go about your business, but there are areas where you have to have your head up and be aware of your surroundings.”

Violent crime severity index in Nanaimo 37% higher than provincial average

These incidents come at the same time Statistics Canada released updated data on police-reported crime.

In Nanaimo, the crime severity index for 2022 increased by 5.75 per cent, and is 33 per cent higher than the provincial average which also increased by 3.6 per cent.

The violent crime severity index for Nanaimo was up 1.25 per cent in 2022 and has increased by 128 per cent since 2015. It is 37 per cent higher than the provincial average, which increased by 5.1 per cent last year.

Nanaimo’s violent crime severity index in 2022 was at an all-time high going back to 1998 before which data is unavailable.

Nanaimo’s non-violent crime severity index was also up by 7.8 per cent in 2022, and is 31 per cent higher than the provincial average, which rose by three per cent provincewide.

O’Brien has some tips on what you should do if you see someone with what looks like a firearm.

“The first thing is not to approach them and then call 911 immediately and tell us exactly what they see, who's involved, the description of the person, and what's happening right now,” he said. “Then let us respond and deal with it correctly, because we have the training, we have the expertise, and we have the tools to deal with it.”

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.