Police in Timmins, Ont., have charged two people with first-degree murder in connection with a shooting on Rea Street South on Aug. 1 that left one man dead and another in hospital with life-threatening injuries, while a separate homicide from the previous day remains under investigation with the suspect still at large. Police have identified the deceased in the Aug. 1 shooting as Cole Lefaive, 32, saying his next of kin have been notified. Local residents Kaleb Booth, 22, and Kaitlin Fudge, 32, have both been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two drug trafficking offences, possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime and multiple firearm offences, according to a Timmins Police Service news release on Sunday. Police said Fudge was located and arrested on Aug. 1 and appeared in bail court on Aug. 2, where she was remanded into custody. Booth was arrested on Aug. 2 and is being held in custody. “The second victim remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries,” police said in the release. Timmins Police Chief Sydney Lecky confirmed during a press conference Saturday evening that arrests had been made in connection with the most recent incident – but at that time, he said he could not release names. Unrelated incidents Police said the Rea Street South shooting occurred shortly after midnight on Aug. 1 in the area of Wilson Avenue. According to police accounts, officers located three individuals with gunshot wounds upon arrival at the scene. One was pronounced deceased, one remains in serious condition and a third suffered a non-life-threatening injury and has since been released from the hospital. That incident came roughly 24 hours after another homicide in the city. On July 31, shortly after 1 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunshots in the area of Balsam Street North near Fifth Avenue. Police said one man was transported to hospital and pronounced deceased. According to the local police service, the investigation into that incident determined that the victim had been shot by another individual known to him. Timmins police identified the deceased in this shooting as 31-year-old Jason Oliver Bartley of the Toronto area in an investigation updated on Aug. 3, with officers saying his next of kin have been notified. Lecky, during his press conference Saturday, stressed that the two cases are not connected. “The circumstances that led to these crimes are still being investigated. However, they are distinct and involve completely different people and circumstances,” he said. “These crimes are not random acts of violence, but rather isolated conflict between persons known to one another.” According to police, both crimes involve illegal firearms and have an element linked to the drug culture. Suspect still at large The suspect in the July 31 homicide has not been arrested. Lecky addressed that person directly during the press conference. “These are complex investigations and we realize that the conflict, whether one has in the different incidents, we do encourage you to come forward, provide your version of events as to what’s happening so that we can bring some conclusion and closure for the people involved,” he said. “There’s a lot of families that are affected by what’s happened of the people involved. They have loved ones that really do care and are very upset with the circumstances. So, there’s always two sides to a story. We’d like to hear both sides when we can.” Lecky said police are not prepared to release the suspect’s name or photo at this time. “We have versions of events where we’re exploring, but we still need to get your side of the story and we encourage you to come forward,” the police chief continued. No public threat While acknowledging public concern over two homicides in such a short span, Lecky said there is no active threat to the broader community. “These are very much targeted events, as often happens from time to time,” Lecky said. “Unfortunately, these events happen to be within 24 hours, just in fact, almost exactly 24 hours of each other. But we can confirm that it is not related. They’re not related in any way.” Lecky said that response was directed at “some suggestion in the public out there that there is an active shooter.” Investigations continue Local police said numerous resources have been assigned to both investigations, including its forensic units and Emergency Response Team, along with support from Ontario Provincial Police teams. Police said investigators have been working around the clock since the first homicide and will continue through the weekend and in the weeks and months to follow. “There has been a strong police presence in these areas over the past couple of days, which will continue as the investigations move forward,” Lecky said. Anyone with information about either case, who has not already come forward, is asked to call Timmins police at 705-264-1201 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously using incident number TI26018051 for the July 31 case and incident number TI26018145 for the Aug. 1 case.
