Two men arrested after a hail of gunfire rained down on a crowd of Halloween revellers early Sunday have been released without charges, police said Monday.
The four victims, all in their 20s, were standing on a sidewalk near a club in Gastown around 2:15 a.m. when they were struck by bullets in various places, including a leg, arm and wrist. Two people were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. One man required minor surgery on his leg, while a female victim is scheduled for plastic surgery for her wrist.
Cont. Lindsay Houghton said police released the suspects because information about them changed throughout the day, and investigators could no longer support the charges because of a lack of evidence.
"As a result of a number of interviews conducted and information gathered by detectives, I can tell you the two men taken into custody have now been released without charges," he said.
The two men are no longer considered suspects.
Houghton, who describes the crime scene as "chaotic" and "highly complex," said some witness interviews were difficult or unreliable because the subject was under the influence of alcohol.
"Detectives interviewed over a dozen witnesses, many of whom had been drinking heavily. The consumption of alcohol does affect people's memory."
Police say the shooting victims all appear to be innocent bystanders, but couldn't say whether the suspects – both previously known to police – were the intended targets.
Vancouver police said there is no indication that the shooting is gang-related, despite issuing a warning about a predicted increase in gang crime over the Halloween weekend.
Houghton said the investigation is continuing with detectives from the VPD Robbery and Assault squads.
Detectives will continue to follow up with victims and witnesses, as well as comb through a number of videos seized from the scene.
