VANCOUVER -- A shooting outside of Cardero’s restaurant killed a man on Saturday evening and elicited a massive police presence in Coal Harbour.
Police say the shooting was targeted, and are referring to the incident as a murder.
CTV News Vancouver spoke to multiple witnesses.
“I heard 3 pops last night,” said Steve Sach who lives nearby, “wasn’t sure what was going on.”
“All of a sudden police came swarming the whole area, west Georgia all the way down to Denman Street and they blocked off all the area. There must have been at least 60 police cars last night,” said Sach.
In addition to police, at least five ambulances responded to the incident around 8:30 p.m.
Photos of the incident show what appeared to be a body under a tarp outside of Cardero’s restaurant.
Police confirm that one person died on scene.
“The victim was pronounced dead on scene after attempts of resuscitation failed by Vancouver Police, Vancouver Fire Rescue Service and BC Ambulance Service,” said Vancouver Police Department’s Const. Tania Visintin.
Police did not confirm if the victim in this shooting had any ties to gangs, only that he was known to them.
“Our homicide investigators are on this, as well as our gang crime unit, as well as crime units that are CFSEU section that’s outside of Vancouver,” she said,”so we have a lot of investigational tactics on this and I’m sure that eventually we will get the right suspect for sure.”
Another person, was also found injured, Sach said.
“On the 500 block of Broughton they found another guy down over there,” said Sach.
“I’m not sure if he was shot or hit by something,” he said.
Police say that man was stabbed and taken to hospital in critical condition.
“We aren’t saying that they’re connected because we don’t know that they’re connected,” said Visintin. They do confirm the 911 call for that incident came in at about 8:45, just minutes after the shooting.
Other witnesses say the man was hit by a van, which could later be seen parked behind police tape. Drops of blood with paint circling it could be seen in front of the van.
Police did not say if the man was known to them or whether the stabbing incident was targeted.
There was also a man heard screaming “no” over and over again, said Angela Rodenburg, who recorded video of the incident from her hotel room at the Westin Bayshore.
“It was pretty blood curdling screaming, so it was pretty scary,” she said.
In CTV News video, taken after the incident, a distraught man, who was trying to get behind the police tape, could be seen being held back by police.
On Sunday morning Coal Harbour Quay remained taped off between Nicola and Cardero Streets. West Hastings between Nicola and Broughton streets was also taped off.
Police say they are investigating the incident, and that no arrests have been made. It is Vancouver’s fifth homicide of the year, they say.
“It’s a very populated area and it’s quite concerning that this happened at that time,” said Visintin, “as much as the public isn’t at risk, an innocent person could have gotten hurt and that’s always very concerning to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call VPD Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
