Vancouver's upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood was shaken early Sunday morning by a fusillade of gunfire that left 10 people injured, two of them critically.
Police were flooded with 911 calls at around 2 a.m. from residents of the Oak Street and 22nd Avenue area who heard dozens of gun blasts and saw a crowd of people fleeing in cars and on foot.
Officers arrived at the scene to find several people suffering gunshot wounds. Others turned up at local hospitals over the next hour.
Const. Jana McGuinness met reporters at the scene of the unsettling incident, describing it as an "outrageous display of gang-related violence."
"The good news is that we have several people in custody that we are questioning," she said. "Having said that though, this will no doubt anger the community and cause concern for the community."
"We want to reassure people that we have a large team dedicated to this investigation today."
The shooting appears to have happened in front of the Best Neighbours restaurant, which had been closed since midnight.
A black pickup truck pierced by bullet holes was towed out of the area by police. A few blocks away, a large gun that appeared to be semi-automatic was found discarded next to a tree.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson lives about a block away from the scene. He heard the gunfire overnight and called 911. He issued a statement about the crime on Sunday.
"I know all of us in the area are extremely concerned about this shocking display of gun violence. This type of brazen gang activity is unacceptable in our city," he said.
McGuinness said there has been little cooperation so far from the six men and three women hospitalized in the shooting. A seventh man refused treatment.
Investigators say they are confident the shooting was targeted and gang-related, but have not confirmed whether any of the wounded were innocent bystanders.
"Some will be connected to the gang lifestyle, we're working through those backgrounds," McGuinness said. "The reality is this happened in a public place on a public street and innocent people could be caught up in this."
Two victims were still listed in critical condition on Sunday afternoon. The other eight sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Officers spent the morning scrambling to catalogue a mass of information from several witnesses and physical evidence spread across a crime scene that spans at least four city blocks. "We have upwards of five mini-crime scenes on the go right now," McGuinness said.
Due to the wide public crime scene, police are asking anyone in the area who sees a suspicious object that could be discarded evidence not to touch it and to contact police immediately.
