A multi-jurisdictional investigation, led by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC), the Edmonton Police Service, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has resulted in the arrest of two violent and dangerous prolific offenders from Edmonton, who committed heinous crimes while in B.C., police announced on Monday.
In 2014, a number of murders, attempted murders, and violent home invasions, involving the torture and mutilation of victims, were committed in Edmonton and in several municipalities in the Lower Mainland. Investigators learned that these violent offences were being committed by individuals based out of Edmonton and that they deliberately came to B.C. for this purpose. The primary activities of this crime group appear to be involvement in murders, home invasions, robberies, kidnappings, extortions, and drug trafficking.
In the fall of 2014, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) and Edmonton Police Service collaborated together on a joint forces operation to investigate the group that grew to include the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) after the murder of 23-year-old Theoren Poitras in Richmond. The violent and transient nature of this crime group posed great challenges to conventional investigative strategies and heightened the risk to public safety, and therefore a joint forces initiative was established.
On September 23, 2014, four unknown males forced entry into a basement suite located in the 7600-block of 146A Street in Surrey. The suspects were masked when they entered the residence and duct-taped the victim. Upon hearing the commotion next door, two male neighbours went outside the residence where they encountered the suspects. An altercation ensued between the neighbours and the suspects, and one of the suspects fired three shots at the two neighbours. One of the shots hit one of the men in the jaw. The suspects fled and the victim was rushed to hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
The investigation into this incident has now resulted in Peter Blake Edmonds, a 24-year-old Edmonton man, being charged with one count of the use of a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence.
In the early morning hours of October 2, 2014, Theoren Poitras was found face down in a pool of blood in the northwest corner of RC Talmey Elementary School, in the 9500-block Kilby Drive, Richmond, after witnesses reported hearing shots fired.
Peter Edmonds was identified as someone who allegedly assisted with getting rid of evidence after the murder and he has also been charged with accessory after the fact in Poitras’ murder.
Evidence gathered also led to the arrest of the person who police believe killed Poitras.
The joint forces operation has also determined that Sean Jacob Lee Jennings was the alleged shooter. Jennings, a 27-year-old Edmonton man, who is currently in custody in Edmonton on a number of other charges announced on Monday in Edmonton, has also been charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Poitras.
