Senior charged with robbing Vancouver luxury store has died, coroner confirms

The Holt Renfrew store in downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Douglas Williams / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The 66-year-old man accused of holding up a Holt Renfrew store in downtown Vancouver last month has died, the BC Coroners Service confirmed Saturday.

In response to a request from CTV News, the coroners service said it "is investigating the death of Douglas Ewing."

"Because it is an open investigation, I’m not able to provide any more information about his death," wrote Amber Schinkel, the service's strategic communications and media relations manager, in an email.

Ewing was charged with robbery, uttering threats to cause death, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose after a Dec. 30 incident at the luxury store.

In a statement announcing the charges on Jan. 1, the Vancouver Police Department said a 911 caller had reported that "someone had entered the store, threatened to shoot staff, and attempted to steal merchandise."

"Officers arrested the suspect outside the store, with help from a witness," the department said at the time, adding that it had seized a gun, two improvised explosive devices and other weapons at the scene.

Ewing made a brief video appearance in Vancouver provincial court on Jan. 3, where his bail hearing was delayed to Jan. 8. His next appearance was scheduled for Jan. 15.

Court records show the 66-year-old was previously found guilty of two counts of robbery and two counts of using an imitation firearm in connection with a pair of incidents in March 2016.

He was sentenced to more than six years in prison for those crimes, and was given a lifetime firearms ban.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Nesbit and Andrew Weichel