Parents are raising concerns after daycares weren’t notified of a nearby shooting in south Edmonton last week. Two teens were injured in a drive-by shooting in the area of Saddleback Road and 27 Avenue around 1:20 p.m. on Oct. 8. The shooting prompted a lockdown of nearby schools. But daycares in the area were left in the dark, leading to a call to action by one, and leaving parents with unanswered questions. “It was an instant worry,” said parent Taylor Smith. “We came and picked up our kids as soon as we could.” Smith said he received a message from the daycare saying there was an incident involving police in the area and that they were keeping children indoors. But there was no information about the shooting. “You need that information. You need to know what’s going on,” he said. “We live down the street, so it was tough seeing all that happen and not getting information for days of what actually happened in the area.” Isabel McRae, the executive director of Bright Beginnings Early Learning and Child Care Centre, said one of the educators heard several gunshots. “She hid in our office, totally unaware of what was happening outside,” McRae told CTV News Edmonton, adding that when she arrived at the scene, police would not allow her into the daycare, and told her they couldn’t open. “Parents trust us with their most loved children every single day. They expect their children are safe,” said McRae. “If we’re not being told of an immediate threat happening outside our doors, how can we ensure that we are able to keep those children safe and that parents can still trust us doing so.” “Responding officers are not always able to individually contact all private businesses in the area,” said the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) in a statement. “When it comes to notifying area residents or businesses, or advising neighbourhoods to take action such as sheltering in place, police will assess the public risk involved in each investigation.” In the instance of the Oct. 8 shooting, EPS says the shooting was targeted, and a suspect was quickly identified and taken into custody. EPS said a random event where a suspect is at large will carry a greater risk, potentially prompting police to issue a shelter in place. “We recognize this must have been a frightening event for area residents and businesses, and want to reassure Edmontonians that investigators acted swiftly to identify and apprehend those involved.” The Learning Store at Blue Quill was placed on lockdown for about 45 minutes. Nearby Sweet Grass School was on lockdown for about five minutes and then was put on alert. Greenfield School was also put on alert. When a school is on lockdown, the doors are locked and students and staff are to remain quiet with the lights off. An alert prompts all external doors to be locked but allows students and staff to move around the building with classes continuing as normal. It is protocol that EPS notify schools of an ongoing incident or heavy police presence in the area, but it is up to the school’s administration to determine the appropriate response. “Why are we less important?” said McRae. “It’s probably an automated response that schools get … so adding licensed childcare centres to that database, I believe, would be a simple solution.” Dan Jones, criminologist at NorQuest College, said police do have the technological capabilities, it’s just a matter if they’re willing to put the work in. “You can have that message sent out to specific areas,” said Jones. “Technology is at a place where they can do that without massive amounts of human resources … EPS and other police services have to be accountable and look at how we ensure that we put public safety first.” EPS said it received a letter from one of the daycares and is reviewing it, as well as the events of the day of the shooting. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
