Vancouver police have descended on the 6900 block of Fraser Street in East Vancouver after reports of a fatal shooting that may have resulted from a case of mistaken identity.

CTV Chopper 9 has captured video of what looks like a tarp covering a body lying in the middle of the street.

The area around this incident has been cordoned off by police. Numerous fire, ambulance and police investigators are on site.

According to an unconfirmed report that is based on an interview with a witness, the incident began when two men knocked on the front door of a nearby house. The two men stormed into the house and demanded to see someone.

In an interview with a reporter, Nazreen Dean said her two brothers, who were at home at the time, told the men that whoever they were looking for didn't live at that address.

Dean said the brothers were told to kneel down. She said the oldest brother was shot three times (but not fatally wounded), before one of the assailants ran away.

The younger brother gave chase, wrestled the gun from the fleeing man and shot him dead. The fate of the second assailant isn't known.

"My [oldest] brother got shot and he's gone to the hospital,'' said Dean, adding that he is expected to survive.

The younger brother, meanwhile, has been taken away in handcuffs.

Police have confirmed that two people were shot and one of them has died. Another suspect remains at large.

Speaking to reporters, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said this latest incident reinforces the view that violent gunplay is out of control in the Metro Vancouver area. "We don't have enough police across the region to deal with this rampant gang activity,'' he said.

Robertson said the only way to deal with gang members on an equal footing is to have unified metro police force.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Reshmi Nair