Mounties in Cranbrook, B.C., are trying to track down two people who were spotted near the scene of a double murder on Saturday morning.
Investigators say two people were shot at a home just east of Cranbrook on Highway 3/93 at around 9 a.m. One victim, 43-year-old Leanne Laura MacFarlane, was found dead at the scene. Another, 42-year-old Jeffrey Todd Taylor, was found in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at 7 p.m. Saturday night at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital.
Several witnesses have reported seeing two people walking along the side of the road near the scene of the crime heading east towards Fernie. Both were dressed in camouflage gear.
Police are looking to speak to the pair and anyone else who was near the scene of the crime, located about 9 kilometres outside of town, on Saturday morning.
The RCMP's Souteast Major Crime Unit is heading the investigation with help from members of Vancouver's Serious Crime Unit.
Cpl. Chris Faulkner said the shooting appears to be targeted, but "the victims may not have been the intended targets."
A former resident of the home was arrested in connection with a shooting outside the Sam Steele Inn in Cranbrook last October, but has since moved out. Police say that incident was related to conflicts between drug traffickers in the city.
Faulkner said police were "not making a direct connection" between Saturday's shooting and the incident in October. "We're not saying that the two situations are related," he said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Faulkner at 250-489-3471 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
