RCMP arrest one after drive by shooting in St. Paul

The Mounties in St. Paul have arrested one person for an alleged drive by shooting which occurred in the town recently.

According to an RCMP news release, “On Aug. 2, the St. Paul RCMP were called to a complaint of a drive by shooting on the 5600 block of 51 Ave. in the town of St. Paul shortly after 10:00 a.m.”

Within minutes, the suspect vehicle was located by the RCMP driving within the town of St. Paul. The St. Paul RCMP along with St. Paul traffic services located the suspect vehicle and attempted to pull it over at which point it fled.

The RCMP initiated a pursuit that lead into rural areas of St. Paul county and lasted for a significant period of time before eventually ending on Saddle Lake First Nation where the suspect departed on foot from the vehicle.  With the assistance of Police Dog Services and neighbouring detachments, one female suspect was arrested on scene without incident.

Charity Rose Gadwa, 23, of Bonnyville, Alta., was charged with the following offences:

• Discharge firearm with intent
• Flight from peace officer
• Impaired operation of a conveyance
• Impaired operation of a conveyance over 80mg%
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
• Operation while prohibited
• Careless use of a firearm
• Pointing a firearm
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm
• Possession of a firearm knowing she was not the holder of a licence

Gadwa was remanded into custody after a judicial hearing and will be appearing in St. Paul Provincial Court on August 5, 2021.

The RCMP do not believe this was a random event and do not believe the general public is currently at risk.  There is also a belief that there were further suspects in the vehicle that are still outstanding.  The investigation is ongoing.

“This is obviously a scary situation for members of the public however our response was quick and we were able to arrest one of the suspects,” S/Sgt. Greg Stannard of the St. Paul RCMP said.  “Public safety is our greatest priority.”

It is unclear what type of firearm was discharged during the drive by shooting.

The St. Paul RCMP are asking the public’s assistance for any information in relation to this incident (or identifying those responsible). Please contact St. Paul RCMP at 780-645-8888 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.”