New firearms charges laid as police scale back presence near Western University

Playing null of undefined

Chesham Place accused granted bail

Bail hearing set for one suspect in Chesham Place investigation

Fei Han makes court appearance, as all Chesham Place accused remain in custody

Zekun Wang appears in court Thursday for bail hearing

‘We all get to go home, my client is the only one who returns to a cage’

Two Chesham Avenue accused appear in court for bail hearings

Two Chesham Avenue suspects make court appearance

London police clear scene at Chesham Avenue

‘This is not a national security investigation’

Police to provide Chesham Avenue investigation update on Friday

RCMP assisting in Chesham Avenue explosives investigation

Firearms, explosives charges laid in investigation near Western University

Hazardous chemicals investigation update

Search warrants executed in Ottawa, Gatineau in Chesham Avenue investigation

Additional charges laid in Chesham Avenue investigation

Arrests made as part of Chesham Avenue and Western University investigation

Multi-day police presence on Chesham Avenue unnerves residents

Nearly two weeks after a major police investigation began near Western University, the scene in the Chesham Heights neighbourhood is starting to quiet down.

London police say they will remain in the area of Chesham Avenue and Chesham Place for an undetermined amount of time, but equipment is being removed and partner agencies are no longer stationed on site.

For residents, the reduced police footprint is a welcome change after days of road closures and checkpoints.

“It’s altered the way we really choose to go out of our house,” said area resident John Klassen. “We’ve stayed in much more, and when we’ve gone out, we’ve had to go through two separate police checkpoints. The officers have been very kind, very nice, no problems.”

Others say the police presence helped them feel secure.

“I have no concerns,” said Pauline Klassen. “They’ve been very good. We felt secure here. They’ve been looking after us safety-wise, and I’m going to trust the court system that they’ll do what they need to do.”

Some neighbours believe police intervention may have prevented a more serious incident.

“I think the police set the checkpoint for catching the suspects when they did before any harm might have been done,” said Jeff Dixon.

Residents who were forced to evacuate are also preparing to return home.

“I know my neighbours that were evacuated are very pleased they’ll be getting back into their homes and starting to return to normal,” said Stephen Waite.

While the scene in the neighbourhood is calming, the case itself continues to grow.

All four accused remain in custody and are now facing new charges, including ‘knowingly manufacture or transfer of firearm.’

In similar cases where police have laid this charge, it has often involved the printing of 3D guns.

Court documents show one of them, 25-year-old Fei, also known as Frank Han, appeared in court and is now facing additional firearm-related charges, including weapons trafficking.

Three of the accused, are scheduled to appear in court, virtually, for a bail hearing on Tuesday.

While it has not been confirmed by Western, it is believed all four are current or former students at the university.

The investigation began Jan. 24 after a trespassing arrest at Western University led police to a loaded handgun. Officers later searched a nearby residence, where hazardous chemicals capable of being used to create explosives were discovered.

Since then, police have executed additional search warrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., confirming the investigation now spans multiple cities and provinces. London police say the case remains active and that ensuring public safety remains their top priority.

Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact London police or Crime Stoppers.