Man shot by crossbow on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside; police say investigation focused on encampment

A man has been shot with a crossbow on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, according to police.

In a social media post, describing the incident as "unfolding" the Vancouver Police Department said the victim was seriously injured and taken to hospital.

"His attacker fled," the tweet continued. "VPD officers are at the scene gathering evidence."

In a subsequent tweet, police said the man was shot in the chest, and that investigators "believe the victim was targeted."

The specific location and time of the alleged attack were not provided, nor was further information about the suspect. However, the VPD said the ongoing investigation is "centered around the encampment" on East Hastings Street near Carrall Street.

For months, tents and structures have lined a several-blocks-long stretch of road. The tent city is currently home to hundreds and efforts to dismantle it have almost completely stalled, primarily because there is not enough alternative shelter available or on offer.

The city's fire chief ordered the stretch of sidewalk cleared on July 25, citing the potential for a "catastrophic" outcome if a blaze were to break out. That move is being challenged in court by several residents who call the encampment home.

The issue of the potential for violence at the encampment has been raised repeatedly. A venue in the area recently cancelled shows citing safety concerns and the VPD has issued several news releases about weapons and attacks within. However, even the police have said that the safety of the people living in the tents and structures are likely to be at the highest risk. Addressing an apparent uptick in violent assaults in the tent city, the department's spokesperson described those incidents as indicative of the "dangers facing vulnerable people – especially those living on the streets in the Downtown Eastside."

A flyer threatening to burn down the encampment was distributed and posted in the neighbourhood in August on the heels of disturbing, violent attacks on homeless people in Metro Vancouver. A shooting spree in Langley left two dead and two injured, with the suspect in that case ultimately shot dead by police. The shooting triggered a province-wide emergency alert that described the gunman as targeting "transient" victims. That same day, on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, police said a woman who is homeless was deliberately set on fire by an unknown man while sitting on the sidewalk. In another incident soon after, a man's makeshift shelter was set ablaze.