Violent long weekend leaves some Ottawa Valley residents concerned about safety

Officials are reassuring residents of their safety after a pair of violent incidents that left three people dead and another in hospital have shaken the Ottawa Valley. 

First, on Friday night, a fatal shooting in the town of Renfrew, Ont.

Then, just over 48 hours later, a second incident in nearby Pembroke, Ont., where two people were found critically injured. One died in hospital and police found another body a short distance away.

County of Renfrew Warden Peter Emon described the events of the long weekend as “unnerving” and “jarring.”

“We’ve always been a very safe and small community, in a lot of ways connected,” he said. “It’s shaken some of that comfort level of the safety and the security.”

The county includes Renfrew and shares services with the City of Pembroke.

Mayors of both communities told CBC that while they’ve heard from some residents who were scared in the wake of the deaths, the events were unusual and they believe there’s no reason to be afraid.

Pembroke mayor calls double-homicide an ‘anomaly’

“I just want people to know that our community is safe and we are here for them,” said Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney, calling what happened in his town a “senseless act of violence.”

Pembroke Mayor Ron Gervais, who also chairs the city’s police services board, echoed the sentiment, describing the community as “quiet.”

“I can’t think of the last time we’ve had a homicide, let alone a double-homicide,” he said. “This is very much an anomaly.”

Both of the incidents happened in buildings owned by the Renfrew County Housing Corporation (RCHC).

In a statement released Tuesday, the RCHC said it, along with the county, is “deeply saddened” by what happened and that both are helping support those affected by the violence.

Bonnie Keefe lives on Vimy Boulevard, the street in Renfrew where the shooting happened.

“We’re hurt,” she said, describing the past few days as a “pretty hard weekend.”

Keefe and a neighbour named Craig Wright visited RCHC Tuesday to express frustration, saying they’d identified the home where the shooting happened as a “problem house” and called for an eviction there for two years.

“We just want our little neighbourhood to be safe,” she said.

Wright said his 13-year-old daughter was disturbed when she witnessed paramedics working on the victim. She has been sleeping in his room since. 

“This can’t happen in a family community,” he said.

Investigators communicating

A spokesperson for the county said RCHC can’t share share information about any tenants, citing confidentiality, though it did confirm it has a process for evictions when all other efforts fail.

Emon, who said he was a social worker for 40 years before becoming warden, said it was concerning that both incidents happened in community housing.

The county is waiting for more information about what occurred before it conducts an internal review about what can be done differently, he said. A review could include changing rental agreements or adding more resources beyond the nine caseworkers and seven tenant relations workers it already employs, he added.

In a media release Tuesday evening, OPP said while it “cannot speculate on any potential connections,” investigators in Pembroke and Renfrew are communicating with each other.

Police were called to an apartment on Mackay Street in Pembroke just before 3 a.m. Monday and said they found two people who were critically injured.

Both were taken to hospital, where one was pronounced dead. The other remains in hospital.

A short time later, OPP said the body of a third person was found nearby.

Residents left with questions

On Tuesday, OPP said a post-mortem had been conducted for the victims of the Pembroke double-homicide.

Investigators added they would not be releasing any further personal information “for the safety of the surviving victim.”

The killings in Pembroke happened just days after the fatal shooting in Renfrew. Police later identified the victim in the Renfrew shooting as 41-year-old Jonathan Logan.

Emon said the violent long weekend has left residents of the County of Renfrew with questions about what’s going on in their communities.

“Everybody’s interested in knowing what the background is,” he explained. “Is it an isolated incident? Is it a symptom of a larger problem that that someone can answer for?”

With few answers, the warden said officials are focusing on supporting those affected by what happened.