Three males and a female; ages 17, 18, 22 and 23; are facing a total of 222 charges, including Attempt Murder and numerous weapons and robbery related charges, following a string of overnight incidents which included a shooting that injured a male teen.
At about 10:56 p.m. on Monday, August 19, 2013, police were dispatched to a weapons call in the 900 block of Montague Street. Preliminary investigation indicated a male was shot in the leg by someone among a group of people in a vehicle. Police attended and found a 16 year-old male, who had sustained a gunshot injury to the hip. He was taken to hospital by EMS. The vehicle was described as a black Dodge Charger, which was later confirmed to be a stolen vehicle.
About an hour later, officers were dispatched to a report of a robbery at an offsale liquor outlet in the 4100 block of 5th Avenue. Two males entered the store carrying a firearm and robbed the 47 year-old female employee of cash and liquor. Fortunately, the victim was not injured.
Within minutes, at about 12:12 a.m., on Tuesday, August 20th, police were called to a robbery in progress at a convenience store in the 2300 block of Quance Street. In this event, it appeared there were four suspects: two remained in the vehicle and two approached the store, armed with firearms. In this incident, the suspects first pointed a gun at, and attempted to rob, a 20 year-old male who was just outside the store. The suspects then entered the store and demanded cash from two male employees, striking a 29 year-old male employee in the face with a gun. A third victim, a 52 year-old male patron in the store, was shoved and robbed of his wallet. The suspects left the area in a black Dodge Charger.
At approximately 12:25 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20th, police received a call of yet another robbery in progress, this time at a hotel offsale in the 4100 block of Albert Street. Two males entered the store with a rifle and a knife and demanded cash from the 23 year-old male employee. The suspects took a quantity of cash, some liquor and a cellphone before fleeing in a black car.
Other police units on patrol were making their way to the south end of the city as the result of these incidents, and one of these spotted a black Dodge Charger, matching the description of the suspect vehicle, in the area of Broad Street and Wascana Drive. Police members initially followed the vehicle eastbound and eventually activated emergency equipment in order to stop the vehicle. The suspect vehicle accelerated and evaded police, eventually stopping on a median on Woodland Grove Drive in the city’s east end. One of the occupants of the vehicle fled on foot and three were apprehended in or near the vehicle. The suspect who’d fled on foot was eventually located by a police canine member and arrested. Numerous items were seized in a search of the car, including a rifle, two zip guns, ammunition, spent ammunition casings, alcohol and cash. Subsequent investigation into these incidents resulted in numerous charges against two adult males, one adult female and one male youth. In total, there are 222 charges associated to these incidents.
The adult accused are 18 year-old Julius Charles BIRD, DOB: 1994-10-25; 22 year-old Justin Lorne PEIGAN, DOB: 1991-02-13 and 23 -old Krystal Margaret FESSER, DOB: 1990-01-14, all of Regina. PEIGAN, BIRD and FESSER are all jointly charged with: Attempt Murder; four charges of Robbery; four charges of Wearing a Mask in the Commission of an Offence; six charges of Assault with a Weapon, three charges of Possession of Stolen Property under $5,000; one charge of Possession of Stolen Property (vehicle) over $5,000; and 82 firearms-related charges. FESSER is also charged with Evade Police. PEIGAN faces 16 charges of Possession (firearms, ammunition) Contrary to an Order and four charges of Breach of Probation. BIRD, PEIGAN and FESSER will appear in Provincial Court at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, August 21, 2013.
The 17 year-old youth cannot be named in accordance with the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The youth is charged with: Attempt Murder; four charges of Robbery; four charges of Wearing a Mask in the Commission of an Offence; six charges of Assault with a Weapon, three charges of Possession of Stolen Property under $5,000; one charge of Possession of Stolen Property (vehicle) over $5,000; and 82 firearms-related charges. He will appear in Youth Court at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, August 21, 2013.