Families in a Metro Vancouver neighbourhood said they were terrified when gunshots rang out in broad daylight this week, in an area not far from schools and daycares.

A woman who runs a daycare in Surrey's Fraser Heights neighbourhood said she saw one of the men inured in what Mounties are calling a targeted shooting, and called 911.

"The 911 dispatcher informed me there was a shooting so I immediately called my daycares in the vicinity alerting them of the situation and placing them on lock down," Trudy Haigh told CTV News Tuesday, just hours after the 4:30 p.m. shooting.

Haigh is the operator of Little Friends daycare, which is located in a home a short distance from where the shooting happened.

"The safety of the children and their families are a top priority to us. It is very upsetting, scary and shocking to have this happen in our close knit community where everyone should feel safe," she said.

Two men were rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being shot, Surrey RCMP said.

Police have not confirmed if they are known to them or whether they are co-operating with investigators, but did say the shooting was targeted.

"Currently they are in stable but non-life-threatening injuries," said Cpl. Elenore Sturko at a news conference.

"Early indications are that this was a targeted incident. While the public was placed at risk as this incident unfolded, there are no indications of a continued risk."

The shooting took place near a school and two daycares in the area of 160 Street and 111 Avenue.

It's not yet known exactly what happened, but a black sedan with visible bullet holes could be seen parked on a lawn in the area. The doors were wide open, and there were some items on the ground nearby.

Evidence markers were scattered across the area, which was blocked off by police tape.

A woman who'd been on her way to pick up her three-year-old son from daycare told CTV News what she'd witnessed.

"We heard some sirens and then we saw one cop car and then another. They were just flying down the street," Kelly Guerineau said.

"It's the first day of school for everybody, that's scary – that's really scary," Kelly's mother, Lydie Guerineau, added.

From CTV News Vancouver's Chopper 9, police officers could be seen looking at the sedan, which appeared to have veered off the road and onto a lawn, coming to rest by a fence.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung