The Nova Scotia government is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in a shooting that injured five people at the annual Africville reunion in Halifax last summer.
The province has added the Africville shooting to its Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, which offers up to $150,000 for information in certain cases.
This is the first time a case that isn’t a homicide or a suspicious missing person has been added to the program.
“Gun violence in our communities is unacceptable. Everyone who came together to celebrate the rich culture and resilience of Africville that weekend had the right to feel safe,” said Nova Scotia Attorney General and Minister of Justice Becky Druhan in a news release Wednesday.
“This mass shooting event had and continues to have a serious and heartbreaking impact on the community, victims and their families. It also affected us as a province. I ask anyone who knows something to please come forward. You can help make our province safer and bring justice for the victims.”
Halifax Regional Police responded to the shooting at the Africville National Historic Site around 10 p.m. on July 27, 2024.
Hundreds of people were at the site for the 41st annual Africville reunion when the shots were fired, injuring five young people, including a 17-year-old girl.
Former residents and descendants of Africville, which was demolished in the 1960, gather at the site every year to celebrate the historic Black community.
“The Africville reunion was meant to be a place where people could come together and celebrate their history, culture and community. For a select few to bring violence into that event, causing serious injury and trauma to those in attendance, is unacceptable,” said Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean in the news release.
“I thank the Department of Justice for recognizing the importance of solving this case and adding it to the rewards program.”
The province says there are now 119 active cases in the program.
Anyone with information about the Africville shooting is asked to contact the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program at 1-888-710-9090. People who come forward with information must provide their name and contact information and may be called to testify in court. All calls are recorded.
Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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