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INSIDE THE VILLAGE: The shooting rampage that shattered our city

If you've tuned into our podcast before, you know it's recorded at Village Media's headquarters in Sault Ste. Marie. This week, all eyes were on our northern Ontario community — for all the wrong reasons

​Welcome back to Inside the Village, a current affairs podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode: When tragedy strikes too close to home.

If you've tuned into our podcast before, you know it's recorded in the basement studio of Village Media's headquarters in Sault Ste. Marie.

We explore all sorts of topics on this show, especially issues that impact people in every community we serve, yours included.

But this week, all eyes were on the Sault — for all the wrong reasons.

In a horrific case of intimate partner violence, a 44-year-old gunman later identified as Bobbie Hallaert shot and killed a 41-year-old woman inside her downtown home. He then drove to another house nearby, where he killed three children — aged six, seven and 12 — before turning the gun on himself.

Another woman was also shot at the second house, but was rushed to hospital and survived.

As police continue to investigate, so many details remain unknown. Some details — including how a person could gun down three innocent kids — may never be known.

Our guest this week is Robin Kerr, executive director of Victim Services of Algoma, the local agency that works behind the scenes to help people impacted by crimes like this. 

Kerr is among the many people calling on the Ford government to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. If the events of this week aren’t convincing enough, what will be?

Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.

Every episode is available HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

Have something to say? You can reach us at [email protected].

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