By Amy Fendley The unmistakable sound of gunshots echoed through the Village Square Saturday night after tempers flared between two rival gangs. Whistler RCMP Const. Warren Tomalty said shots were fired outside Tommy Africa’s, after complaints of a fight were reported at approximately 2:10 a.m. The fight began when one large group of males approached another, pointing out one particular individual. Tomalty said a 25-year-old male pulled out a handgun and fired several times. There were no reported injuries. A suspect was later arrested and charged with pointing a firearm. He is to appear in court Nov. 13. "This is the first time I’ve heard of a gun going off in the village area," said Tomalty. "You don’t expect to hear of that here, or at least not in the two years that I’ve been here. It’s been many years since there has been a reported gun incident, either domestic or otherwise." The males in both of the groups were from the Lower Mainland. RCMP do not have the weapon in their possession and are requesting help from the community by asking witnesses to come forward. The incident comes weeks after Whistler RCMP began cracking down on fights at nightclubs. RCMP have indicated there are increasing numbers of youths coming from the Lower Mainland to Whistler looking for fights. "It may take a while," said Tomalty. "People have to realize that we are not going to accept that a fight is consensual and just let them go. They can explain that to the judge." Another fight Sunday night, outside of Maxx Fish, resulted in the arrests of two males. A 23 year-old male from Surrey and a 20 year-old male from Whistler.
