Victims of fatal Langley, B.C., shootings were homeless, outreach worker confirms

The victims of the deadly shootings in Langley, B.C., early Monday morning were living on the street.

Outreach worker Kimberly Snow confirmed to CTV News hours later that she knew both victims.

“I cried (when I found out), because I saw them last Wednesday,” she said.

Snow, who owns and operates Kim’z Angels, a volunteer-based organization providing food and clothing to Langley’s homeless population, said the community is in shock.

“These two are just amazing souls that come get food and get clothes. You chat with them and hear their stories. They become part of your family,” she said.

One of the victims had planned on leaving Langley soon, in hopes of a starting a new chapter.

“One of them wanted to leave from here and go back to where she’s from to start all over again,” explained Snow. “That was a conversation I think we had three weeks ago.”

Langley City Mayor Val van den Broek said homelessness has reached crisis levels in the city. She estimates more than 300 people are currently living on the street, despite Langley having the third-highest number of subsidized housing units of all cities in Metro Vancouver. Van den Broek says the province’s approach to curbing homelessness isn’t working.

“The Housing First program was such a good idea, but if we’re not building enough housing to house people, what’s the new plan?”

Snow added roughly 150 unhoused people’s quality of life improved when they were placed in a hotel at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Snow says all of them have since gone back to living on the streets.

“If you’ve got mental health and drug addiction problems and you’re living on the street, how are you going to get better?” said van den Broek.

The mayor is calling on federal and provincial governments to fund and build housing initiatives faster, as she anticipates the number of unhoused people in the city to rise amid a skyrocketing cost of living.

Meanwhile, Snow said the deadly gun violence draws attention to the harsh reality of society’s most vulnerable population. Her fear is the stigma around homelessness will cause people to dismiss the victims as expendable.

“They (can be) somebody’s mom, dad, mother, brother or sister,” she said. “They’re beautiful people. They’re suffering souls.”