Halifax Regional Police (HRP) are saying very little about their response to an armed robbery and pursuit that forced the lockdown of the Halifax Shopping Center and several schools in the area on Tuesday.
The Halifax police used Twitter to notify the public of a “weapons complaint” at the mall, which has prompted further questions, as to whether Twitter and social media platforms are the best way for police to communicate public safety alerts to the general public.
“I think policing, in particular in Nova Scotia is facing an overdue reckoning in terms of their responsibilities to communicate to the public and also their responsibilities to public safety in general,” said Dr. Ardath Whynacht, an associate professor of Sociology at Mount Allison University.
A major focus of the Mass Casualty Commission that’s looking into the circumstances of April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, is the RCMP’s decision to use Twitter to communicate to the public that there was an active shooter situation.
“I think we need to have a different understanding of what a public safety alert is, that goes beyond social media,” said Whynacht. “When police forces are only using Twitter, they are only responding to a critical group of folks who are already plugged in and already know what’s going on.”
Halifax police declined an interview but in a statement sent to CTV News said:
“The public communications that were put out in relation to the events on Tuesday were based on the need to appropriately make the public aware based on the actual threats related to the incident. We made the determination based on the totality of the circumstances,” said HRP spokesperson Cst. John MacLeod.
Whynacht says police need to show more transparency around the use of the public safety alert system, and should seek more civilian participation when creating policies that deal with communication and public safety.
On Tuesday, Police arrested two men at the mall, while the third suspect remains at large.
Police say the two men arrested were allegedly involved in a pair of armed robberies earlier that day.
Ghassan Chater said he was robbed at gun point Tuesday at his pawn shop in Lower Sackville, around the noon hour.
Chaser said two men entered the store, pulled out a long gun and demanded gold and cash.
The two thieves forced Chater to open his safe and that’s when the 60-year-old said he had enough and reached for the suspects gun, to try and wrestle it from his hands.
“I put my hand on the gun and pointed it at the ground and a shot went off,” said Chater.
There’s a bullet hole on the ground next to his safe where the bullet ricocheted off the floor.
Chater feared the suspect might shoot him but at that point the thieves ran away with some gold jewelry.
“I think there was a car waiting for them and they took off,” said Chater. That’s when he called 9-1-1.
Police say the two men matched the description of suspects from an earlier robbery in Halifax that morning.
It happened at Ash Jewelery on Quinpool Road, but Police say the suspects didn’t steal anything inside the jewelry store and nobody was injured.
Eventually police spotted the suspects in a vehicle traveling along Highway 102 near Bayers Road. A chase ensued and the three men ran into the Halifax Shopping Center which triggered the lockdown situation.
Police arrested Daniel Christian Anthony Johnson, 27, and Colton Alan Grantmyre, 26, who are both facing a long list of charges including robbery, assault with a weapon, uttering threats and unlawful confinement.
The third suspect is described as a Black man in his 20s, six feet tall with a medium build and wears and earring in his left ear. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and gray track pants.