Dartmouth business repeatedly shot, vandalized
Posted Apr 21, 2011 06:24:21 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s been a frustrating year for a downtown Dartmouth business owner, who is calling on police to step up enforcement and investigative efforts.
The Ramey Investments head office on Portland Street has been the target of several shootings over the past year.
The shootings began last June and the most recent one occurred last Saturday night, shattering five windows. Each broken window is costing the business about $1000 to replace.
Keith Ramey, owner of Ramey Investments, says authorities are not doing enough to help him – and he’s fed up.
“With the council, with the police, with downtown development, everybody,” he says. “We’re paying big taxes here and we deserve for someone to do something about what’s happening.”
Halifax Regional Police Cst. Brian Palmeter says the department is aware of the problem and the investigation is very much active.
“We have taken steps to install video and we’ll continue to look at those avenues,” said Palmeter. “At this point we do not have any active leads. However, we are still actively looking at them.”
A camera was installed in the area about a month ago, meaning it was active when the building was shot at on Saturday night. The problem is that the camera doesn’t cover his part of the building. This has only added to Ramey’s frustrations.
“They’ve got to find out who is doing it,” he said. “They’ve put cameras out but they’re not adequate enough to meet the needs here.”
Coun. Gloria McCluskey (Dartmouth Centre) says she understands Ramey’s frustration and she plans to speak with police about the problem.
“I’ll be asking for a different camera, one that will cover his building,” she says. “That’s the only way we’re going to catch these people. If it’s a matter of budget, I’ll get it out of my capital fund.”
Ramey says he can’t understand why his office is being targeted and that no other buildings in the area have been shot at.
