3 dead, including shooting suspect, in hours-long incident in Langley, B.C.

A suspect believed to be responsible for shooting multiple people in Langley, B.C., was killed by police Monday morning.

That man has been identified by investigators as Jordan Daniel Goggin, who police say did not live in the city but instead in neighbouring Surrey.

He was 28 and was known to police, but for what they described as "non-criminal contact." Officers did not give any further information on their previous interactions with Goggin, nor did they say what connections he may have had to Langley or why they think he was there at the time.

The shooting spree that ended in Goggin's death began at around midnight. Police said the first shooting was followed by one at 3 a.m., another around 5 a.m. and a fourth at about 5:45 a.m.

Two men were found dead – one near Creekstone Place and another at the Langley city bus loop near Logan and Glover roads. A woman was found near 203A Street and Fraser Highway and taken to hospital in critical condition. A fourth victim was found shot in the leg near the Langley Bypass and 200th Street.

Shots also may have been fired into closed or unoccupied businesses, police said.

Mounties located a suspect near the fourth victim. In an initial statement, Langley RCMP said "investigators believe the lone suspect to be in custody." But in an update, police said the suspect was shot by officers and pronounced dead at the scene.

As a result, B.C.'s police watchdog has been called to investigate the incident.

The victims weren't identified by police as next-of-kin notifications are still underway, but a person who said she knew the two of the victims told CTV News they were homeless. 

Police said they're still working to understand a possible motive or connection between the suspect and the victims.

In an afternoon news conference, City of Langley Mayor Val van den Broek called the event a tragedy.

"I'm here with a very heavy heart … Everybody in our community should know that this was an isolated incident as far as we know and we are doing everything we can to help people," she said.

"I want to say to the community: we're strong, we'll get through this. We've been through lots before."

A street is blocked off in Langley, B.C., after multiple people were shot on July 25, 2022. (Shelley Moore/CTV News Vancouver)

EMERGENCY ALERT SENT

The incident prompted two emergency alerts early Monday.

The first alert was sent at about 6:20 a.m., saying the incident happened in the downtown core of the city of Langley and in Langley Township. It said the incident involved "transient victims" and that police "had interaction with one suspect."

• Read more: Alert recipients called 911 to complain

Then, in a second alert sent about an hour later, an update said the "suspect police interacted with is no longer a threat."

Police said the alerts were issued while investigators confirmed the suspect was acting alone.

Chief Supt. Ghalib Bhayani further explained the alert was sent because the incident met "the required core criteria" to send one.

Those criteria are reasonable belief there's an active threat presenting a significant risk of harm to the public, the situation is unpredictable, and sufficient information is available to provide clear direction to the public on how to stay safe.

Investigators seen near Highway 10 and 200th Street in Langley, B.C. An emergency alert was sent out Monday morning about multiple shooting scenes in the city and township. (Michele Brunoro/CTV News)

It's the second time the RCMP has issued an alert in the province.

In spite of the wording in the emergency alert, police said they're still working to understand who the victims are.

While the investigation is underway, multiple areas in the city of Langley and Langley Township are closed to the public. People are asked to stay out of the area near 200 Street and Langley Bypass; the parking lot of Cascades Casino at Fraser Highway and 204 Street; and the Langley bus loop at Logan Avenue and Glover Road. 

'SENSELESS VIOLENCE'

In a statement about the shooting, the province's public safety minister and premier condemned the violence in Langley.

"This senseless act of violence against members of our community is extremely concerning and unacceptable," Mike Farnworth and John Horgan said.

They said their thoughts are with the victims of what they called "horrific" shootings, and that they understood the concern and fear felt in the community, especially while the motive remains unclear.