Fact Sheet: 2022 Firearms Trends Summary

In 2022, there were a reported 165 shootings in Edmonton compared to 150 in 2021, resulting in a 10 per cent increase in shootings from 2021 to 2022.

This amounts to an average of more than 13 shootings per month in 2022. 

Of the 165 shootings:

• 141 or 85% are believed to be targeted. This is compared to 108, or 72% in 2021.
• The remainder are random, meaning there does not appear to be any prior relationship between the parties involved.
• 90 of the shootings resulted in injury, compared to 89 in 2021.
• 98 had the potential for innocent bystanders to be harmed, compared to 69 in 2021. These shootings are defined by events where shots were fired at homes, vehicles, or where it is unknown where the bullets landed.
  • In 21 of the 98 shootings where innocent bystanders could have been harmed, there were children in the vicinity.

Locations

• 79 of the shootings, or almost half, occurred on the street.

• Northwest Branch had the highest amount of shootings at 32, followed closely by Southeast Branch at 30.

Firearm Seizures

• In 2022, police seized approximately 1,127 firearms and 762 air guns. This is compared to 1,633 firearms and 693 air guns in 2021.
• In 2022, police seized 76 firearms and 82 air guns from vehicles. This is compared to 119 firearms seized from vehicles and 104 air guns seized from vehicles in 2021.

  Firearms Examination Unit

• The EPS IBIS (Integrated Ballistic Identification System) instrument became operational in late 2020. It allows EPS to perform ballistic analysis on seized firearms, resulting in linkages to other crimes.
• 952 files were analyzed by the EPS IBIS instrument in 2022, compared to 756 in 2021.
• This resulted in 39 leads generated, potentially linking these firearms to other investigations.