Vancouver police confirm officers were dispatched to multiple work yards and job sites Wednesday afternoon after a city employee was threatened.
Sgt. Randy Fincham issued a statement revealing a threat had been directed at one worker, but did not provide further details.
“Police have taken the unusual steps of securing a number [of] works yards and job sites. The police do not believe that there is a risk to the general public at this time,” Fincham said.
An employee at the National Works Yard in Strathcona told CTV News the evening shifts were cancelled and the facility was put on lockdown. Workers were allowed to leave but no one was allowed to enter.
Mayor Gregor Robertson also released a statement saying the city experienced a “serious incident.”
“This kind of incident is very challenging for the thousands of hardworking staff who come to work every day to make Vancouver place,” Robertson said.
“In an abundance of caution, VPD members and additional security have been and continue to be deployed as appropriate.”
City employees were instructed to carry on as usual unless otherwise directed, the mayor added.
It’s unclear whether the incidents are related to a deadly shooting at a Burnaby cul-de-sac earlier in the day.
An unidentified victim was gunned down at Wickham Place around noon in what investigators have described as a targeted incident.
Mounties confirmed they are working with Vancouver police on the case, but haven’t revealed why.
