Kamloops RCMP expects organized-crime violence to continue, alerts public to increased safety risk

KAMLOOPS — An uptick in local violence associated to an organized-crime conflict has Kamloops police warning residents about two individuals and an increased risk to public safety.

The warning in an RCMP press release on Wednesday (May 8) comes following a recent series of shots-fired reports, arsons and targeted criminal acts believed to be connected to the conflict.

Kamloops RCMP investigators are expecting the violence to continue as both individuals — 40-year-old Cameron Ronald Cole and 25-year-old Justin Christopher Hunt — remain in the community.

“The two men who appear to be at the centre of the conflict have been warned about the risk to themselves, but recent events also lead us to be fearful for the safety of the public at large who may live or be near the men or their associates who are being targeted as a result of their criminal activities,” Superintendent Jeff Pelley, Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Officer in Charge, said in the release.

“Without going into detail due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, some of these incidents occurred in public venues and have included a misidentified target.”

In the interest of public safety, police are releasing the names and images of the two men — believed to be the targets of future violence — and are asking the public to avoid interaction with them or their associates.

“The recent and previous targeted arsons have consequences to the public’s sense of security and safety, and could easily have harmed an innocent bystander in the area at the time,” TEU Sergeant Kevin McIntyre said in the release. “We are issuing this public interest disclosure in an effort to stay ahead of the violence and encourage anyone with information that may be connected to reach out to police as soon as possible.”

Police are asking the public to report any information about recent incidents of violence or suspicious activity to police by calling 911.