Island arson believed work of vigilantes
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating an apparent incident of vigilante justice on Grand Manan Island in the early hours of Saturday, July 22, that led to arson, gunfire and physical altercations in Castalia...
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating an apparent incident of vigilante justice on Grand Manan Island in the early hours of Saturday, July 22, that led to arson, gunfire and physical altercations in Castalia between a group of islanders unhappy with the activities of a smaller group of islanders and visitors from Saint John.
"We're investigating who set fire to a house. There appears to be a bullet hole damage to a vehicle, as well as a lot of fighting," says Sgt. Greg MacAvoy of the RCMP headquarters in St. George. As many as 50 people appear to have been involved, and as of Wednesday, July 26, MacAvoy reports, "We are still trying to interview as many people as we can to find out who did what to whom. We want our T's properly crossed and I's dotted before any charges are filed."
In a two-hour period beginning just after midnight there was a lot of fighting, reportedly involving knives, guns and baseball bats. "Twelve to 15 people may have been injured, but they didn't seek medical treatment. Maybe they're home licking their wounds. Maybe they're too embarrassed or rugged to admit they were hurt," points out MacAvoy, who is sure that alcohol was involved.
"It was a long night," reports Grand Manan Fire Chief Colin Bagley. His department received two separate calls for the same structure, a Cedar Street house owned by Ronald Ross. The first alarm was at 12:35 a.m., and when firefighters arrived, they discovered a fire on the very back of the house against the side of the structure. "I don't know if it was flammable liquid or not, but it was very suspicious," points out Bagley. "We had it out within half an hour, but after we left, we got another call."
When the approximately 18 firefighters tried to return to the house, it was discovered that a truck had been purposely placed in the road, and some islanders told Bagley that they weren't going to let him through. By the time the police had cleared away the vehicle and people, it was too late to save the house. "It appeared that the fire had been set in the same place, and the house was fully involved," reports Bagley.
Corporal Ron Smith and three constables are stationed on Grand Manan, and Sgt. MacAvoy says that two extra RCMP officers have been sent to Grand Manan to conduct the investigation into what exactly happened the morning of July 22.
MacAvoy agrees that the island has been experiencing an increase in crime and that drug activity appears to be the cause. "It's not unique to Grand Manan," he notes. "The spiral of addiction is happening across Canada in similar-sized communities."