Fatal shootings involving police are under investigation in East Vancouver.
The Vancouver Police Department said it was called to a residential building near Commercial Drive and East 5th Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after reports of an attack.
“When the patrol arrived, there was an interaction that led to an exchange of gunfire,” the VPD said in a press release the next morning.
Police said the suspect, a 40-year-old man, died on the spot.
The VPD said he was a resident of East Vancouver, but his identity has not been revealed.
“I can’t get into the suspect’s behavior. I can’t get into anything that led to the arrival of the police. This is something that will be removed by (the Office of Independent Investigations), “said Const. Tanya Visintin during a press conference on Thursday morning.
However, she confirmed that the initial attack took place in the suspect’s apartment.
An employee was injured and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“He went to the hospital last night, but now he’s resting at home,” Visintin said.
Witnesses told CTV News Vancouver that they heard the shots.
“I heard sirens and then shots like thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder. So five shots, maybe six, “a witness told CTV News, who did not want to be identified.
He looked out his window and saw heavily armed police crowding into the house next door.
Then he heard a knock on the door.
He says a tactical officer asked to come in and use his window as an observation post.
“They started breaking windows,” he said.
He says he was told to wait in the hall.
“We could hear them acting and shots being heard as we hid in the corridor. And then I believe that this is exactly the person who was shot, “he said.
He says he did not see the victim.
“The last shot he fired was the end of all the confusion, and it sounded like it was coming from my window.
The IIO, BC’s police oversight body, confirmed on Thursday morning that it was investigating a police shooting.
“When the police arrived, there was an exchange of gunfire. The man received gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, “the IIO said in a statement.
Anyone who has more information about the incident is now being asked to contact their witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
The IIO is run by a civilian police oversight agency, which is responsible for investigating incidents of death or serious injury that may have resulted from the actions or omissions of a police officer.
Other occupants of the building were forced to evacuate.
“The police came and knocked on our door and took us out with their guns out, as if they had escaped, giving us instructions on how to escape,” said Robbie, who fled the building.
“We were told there was a man downstairs with a gun shooting at the police in the last 30 minutes.”
The medical examiner arrived on the scene shortly before 6 am, removing a body on a stretcher.
There was still a heavy police presence with more than a dozen cruisers and a heavily armed tactical vehicle in front of an apartment on East 5th Avenue.
Much of the neighborhood was set behind a police line as investigators patrolled the area.
The witness was shocked by what happened at his home.
“I told the SWAT boy, ‘Like, I have to go get a drink because I can’t handle it right now,'” he told CTV News.
The VPD described it as a “high-risk situation”, confirming that an emergency response team and an armored car with a ram had been deployed.
“It was an exchange of gunfire at 8:30 on the night of Drive here, heavily populated. “A bunch of restaurants, a bunch of pedestrians,” Visintin said.
“Every time there is an exchange of skirmishes. Where life has been taken, this is obviously very worrying for us, a concern not only for the police but also for members of society. “
East 5th Avenue of Commercial Drive is expected to close in a few hours.
Add Comment