Two victims are dead and two others are seriously injured after a series of shootings in Langley, B.C., prompted emergency alerts for the public on Monday.
A suspect was identified and shot dead by RCMP, ending a series of attacks that police believe were targeting homeless people in the area.
RCMP were called to downtown Langley and neighboring Langley Township to reports of shootings “early in the morning,” according to a statement.
Four victims were shot.
A man was found dead by the Langley City Bus Loop at Logan Avenue and Glover Road. Another man was discovered dead at the nearby Creek Stone Place supportive housing project.
Police also found a woman who had been shot near 203A Street and Fraser Highway. She was taken to hospital in critical condition.
The RCMP issued a direct cellphone emergency alert to the public with a description of a suspect and a possible suspect vehicle just before 6:20 a.m. PT — the second time in the last year that the Alert Ready system has been used for an asset. shooter scene in BC
A man matching the suspect’s description was later found near the Willowbrook Mall at 200 Street and the Langley Bypass.
Police shot and killed him after an “interaction,” the statement said.
A fourth victim was found nearby with a gunshot wound to the leg.
“At this time we do not know the motive for this fatal incident, or if there was any relationship between the deceased suspect and the victims,” said Chief Supt. Ghalib Bhayani, Deputy District Commander of the Lower Mainland RCMP.
Earlier this morning, RCMP told CBC News that a suspect had been taken into custody.
Sgt. Rebecca Parslow said the victims were homeless and police believe the attack was targeted.
RCMP have established several crime scenes within a few kilometers of each other: one at Willowbrook Mall, another at the Cascades Casino on Fraser Highway and a third near a thrift store and the Logan Avenue bus loop.
In the Willowbrook Mall parking lot, an unmarked black police vehicle was seen with at least nine bullet holes in the windshield and driver’s side window.
On the sidewalk, there was an overturned bicycle with a blue sleeping bag and other personal belongings tied to a box on the back. Outside the casino, behind yellow police tape, was a shopping cart and other items.
The initial emergency alert described the suspect as a white man with dark hair wearing a brown Carhartt jumpsuit and a blue and green camouflage T-shirt with a red logo on the right sleeve.
The notice said it was attached to a white vehicle. Later in the morning, police were seen investigating a white four-door sedan and running its license plates in the same area where the suspect was shot and killed outside the mall.
A bicycle at the scene of a shooting at the Willowbrook Mall on 200 Street near the Langley Bypass Monday morning. Several people, at least one of whom was homeless, were shot, police said. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Officials sent out a second emergency alert shortly after 7:20 a.m. PT. He said the suspect was “no longer a threat,” but reiterated the need to stay away from the downtown core as officers ruled out the possibility of multiple suspects.
The city and township of Langley is located about 40 kilometers southeast of Vancouver.
“It breaks my heart,” says the mayor
Town of Langley Mayor Val van den Broek was speechless on Monday.
“I can’t even explain it. Like I said, my heart breaks. This is something you never want to happen in your community. Never, ever,” she said.
“I’m sorry, I’m quite emotional right now,” she added through tears. “I volunteer with the homeless and I get to know them and it’s also very personal to me.”
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is responding to the incident. BC’s Office of Independent Investigations, which investigates police-related incidents that result in serious injury or death, has also been called in as a result of the suspect’s death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators, Bhayani said.
RCMP have closed 200 Street, a major downtown route, between Willowbrook Mall and the Langley Bypass.
Police specified the following areas as places for the public to avoid:
- 200 Street and Langley Bypass
- Cascades Casino at Fraser Highway and 204 Street
- The Langley Bus Loop at Logan Avenue and Glover Road