Halifax regional councillor representing Bedford-Wentworth has expressed receiving feedback from concerned residents regarding the police’s communication strategy during a recent incident involving an armed individual in the area. Jean St-Amand mentioned that some residents were already aware of the situation through social media posts before the official alert was issued.
The emergency alert, issued on Saturday in Bedford, N.S., advised residents to secure their homes as authorities searched for the suspect following a shooting in the Annapolis Valley. A subsequent alert with wider reach was sent 30 minutes later, leading to the apprehension of the man.
The suspect, Ryan Alexander Cole, appeared briefly in Digby provincial court on Monday, with his case adjourned until August 25 while he remains in custody. St-Amand intends to discuss the sequence of events on Saturday related to the emergency alert with the city’s chief administrative officer to gain further insight into the coordination between the alert system and on-site officers.
In response to the incident, police in the Annapolis Valley clarified that the suspect had fled the scene in a damaged Mazda sedan towards Halifax after a woman was shot in South Farmington. The suspect abandoned the vehicle after a collision with a tree near Sunnyside Mall in Bedford.
Cpl. Mandy Edwards from the RCMP explained that alerts are strategically targeted based on various factors, with the initial alert localized to the suspect’s last known whereabouts before a broader alert was issued to all residents in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The purpose of these alerts is to inform the public of ongoing events and provide necessary guidance. Additionally, police utilize social media and traditional news releases to disseminate information effectively.