An RCMP officer moves police tape near a tent covering a body at one of three locations under investigation in connection with a multiple shooting in Langley, British Columbia, on July 25. DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
At least some of the victims of a Vancouver-area shooting that killed two people and left two others injured are homeless, according to people and community organizations.
The spate of killings that spanned six hours Monday in the suburban town of Langley, British Columbia, highlighted the dangers facing the most vulnerable people in the community and raised the specter that the shooter may have specifically targeted homeless people, although police are not speculating on a motive.
Investigators said the first shooting happened around midnight early Monday morning when a woman, who remains in critical condition, was shot near the Cascades Casino. About three hours later, the gunman killed a man at a nearby housing project before shooting another man at the Langley Center bus stop.
Around 5:45 a.m., police shot and killed the suspect, later identified as 28-year-old Jordan Daniel Goggin, near the Langley Bypass. Another victim was found nearby with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the leg. Authorities first identified some of the victims as “transients,” but later said they could not confirm whether they were homeless.
In Langley on Tuesday, members of the homeless community struggled to process what happened a day earlier.
Joseph Belcourt and his partner, Ida Mimo, were alarmed when they realized they had slept at one of the shooting sites — next to the Langley Center bus line — the night before. They were even more uneasy after learning they knew three of the victims, none of whom have been publicly identified by police.
One of the men who died was active in the Vancouver drug scene but moved to Langley to escape the chaos, Mr. Belcourt said. He described him as funny with good conversational skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.
“One day he came up to us around 4am and he had a shopping cart full of bags of dirt. He was trying to sell us bags of potting soil at four in the morning, offering us a really good idea on how to grow weeds,” Mr. Belcourt said, a smile stretching across his face.
Mr Belcourt described another deceased as a quiet man. His partner spoke about the victim who survived being shot in the leg. “So many people walk past this area and it seemed so random,” Mr Belcourt said. “I hope it was an isolated event and that it brought people together,” Ms Mimo said.
Little is known about Mr. Goggin, who has no visible online presence. RCMP initially described him as an “acquaintance to police,” but investigators later clarified that was for non-criminal contacts, such as being a complainant.
Charity Chizek has been Mr Goggin’s neighbor since December as one of three tenants at a Surrey home. She said she had few interactions with the man, but noticed in recent weeks that he had started acting strangely.
“About two weeks ago, late at night, we heard noises outside and [the dog] barked, she said. “We were peeking out and he was standing by his car saying, ‘That’s me [messed] up.'”
Ms Cizek said her neighbor had a blank look in his eyes and was swaying.
Sergeant David Lee of the RCMP-led Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Tuesday that police are seeking additional witnesses to assess a motive. The department said the suspect was wearing two outfits at the time of the shooting, first a black shirt and shorts and later a brown jumpsuit and camouflage shirt.
In the Surrey community of Cloverdale on Tuesday, three police cars were parked outside the home of Mr Goggin’s mother.
Leith White, pastor at Friends Langley Vineyard Church, which is steps away from the Langley Bypass where one victim was found dead, said he was well acquainted with the shooting victims.
He said he has known some of them for as long as 12 years, while others are newer to the community. They attended meal services and used other services in the church.
“They are highly respected individuals. They do not seek to cause difficulties or create problems. They’re just doing whatever they can to try to survive on the street,” Mr. White said in an interview. The pastor said he found Monday’s mass shooting tragic but not surprising because housing support is inadequate, forcing people to live on the streets.
The reality is that life on the streets is a dangerous place, he said, adding that it was a daily occurrence to hear of people’s tents being set on fire and people being beaten while they slept.
He declined to identify the victims.
Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said Canadian studies have found that homeless men are nine times more likely to be murdered than homeless women, and a large proportion of homeless youth and women report being were victims of violence.
“There is this belief that homelessness is the result of some personal failure and we stigmatize people and treat them as subhuman,” Mr. Richter said. “If there’s a belief that they don’t deserve the same compassion … the same protection as everybody else, then that’s a natural consequence.”
He said much of the violence this community faces happens in the shadows, but one brazen shooting brings the issue into the spotlight. Because so much goes unreported, Mr. Richter said even the best estimates underestimate the prevalence of violence in this community.
His fear is that as the number of people without homes increases, in part due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, these deadly incidents will become more common. “While these people are in this precarious and vulnerable situation, it will be difficult to protect them,” Mr Richter said.
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