2024 marks five-year low in number of Regina homicides

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Regina saw the loss of six lives by homicide in 2024 — each one representing its own devastation to family and loved ones.

Police Chief Farooq Hassan Sheikh said in a recent interview with the Leader-Post that the Regina Police Service (RPS) will do everything it can to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths, or any crime of a violent nature.

But within a grim statistic are signs of movement in the right direction: downward.

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Regina police recorded 11 homicides in 2020 and a city-record 16 in 2021, finishing that year with the highest homicide rate among Canada’s major urban centres. Regina’s number of homicide victims dropped to seven in 2022, followed by 10 in 2023 and, as mentioned, six in 2024.

(The yearly number of homicides recorded by RPS can differ from Statistics Canada data pertaining to the Regina Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) due to a difference in the geographical boundaries of data collection areas.)

Sheikh acknowledged that even one homicide is too many, but “we’re in a lot better position than we were before.”

“From all the places I’ve worked, the solvability rate here for homicide is the best I’ve seen anywhere,” said Sheikh, who has worked for other police forces in Canada and the United Kingdom.

His predecessor in Regina, Evan Bray, previously spoke of homicide as a crime that is difficult to predict and prevent. He noted that while the cause of homicides can be rooted in social issues, they can also be spontaneous and fuelled by substance use.

When Bray was the city’s top cop, he said police would focus on things known to “aggravate” potentially violent situations — such as drugs or firearms — with the hope that doing so would make a tangible difference in terms of violent crime.

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Sheikh believes the force’s continued efforts to crack down on drugs may be playing a role in homicide reduction.

“We’re taking out as many drug suppliers as we can,” he said.

Further, he feels that taking violent offenders off the streets also prevents homicides.

Nonetheless, homicides have continued to occur in the city.

On May 12, officers found 22-year-old Everett Wolfe Roberts-Orr injured on the 4800 block of Sherwood Drive before he succumbed to his injuries in hospital. One man is charged with second-degree murder and another is wanted for second-degree murder on a Canada-wide warrant. A youth was also initially charged, but that charge was stayed.

On June 1, 19-year-old Jason Martin died in hospital after he was found injured on the 2300 block of Reynolds Street. Two men were charged with second-degree murder in relation to Martin’s death.

Emergency responders tried to save the life of 25-year-old Warren John Crane on June 29, after he was found injured on the 1900 block of McIntyre Street. However, efforts were unsuccessful and he was declared deceased. A man and a woman were both charged with first-degree murder in relation to the death.

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On Aug. 23, police found 37-year-old Amber Dawn Robson unresponsive in a home on the 1000 block of King Street. A man found inside the home faces a charge of second-degree murder.

On Dec. 3, officers found a woman apparently suffering from gunshot wounds on the 1400 block of Argyle Street. She was taken to hospital but died Dec. 6. Neither her name or age has been released, and no charges were announced in relation to her death. Police have asked for the public’s help in obtaining information about the incident.

Finally, on Dec. 26, police responded to a call about an injured person in the area of 8th Avenue and Retallack Street. Despite life-saving efforts, 30-year-old Charles Russell Thompson was eventually pronounced dead on the scene. Two 15-year-old boys were charged with second-degree murder in relation to the death.

While police continue their efforts to prevent such deaths, Sheikh acknowledged the immense tragedy represented by the year’s homicides.

Asked what message he has for those close to the victims, he said: “We’re deeply sorry for their loss.”

[email protected]

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Editor’s note: The information in this story is up to date based on what was provided to the Leader-Post by Regina police as of 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31.

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