A 52-year-old man is undergoing surgery following a “brazen” daytime shooting outside a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver.
A total of three people were injured as gunfire erupted in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Police responded to reports of gunshots, where they found the male victim seriously wounded.
Const. Brian Montague, spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, said the suspected gunman then fled the scene on bicycle, later exchanging gunfire with police outside a nearby science centre.
The 61-year-old shooter, also in surgery, sustained significant injuries but is in stable condition.
Montague confirmed a plainclothes officer had been injured by flying glass after her vehicle was shot at. The officer was released from hospital after being treated for minor injuries.
Montague said it was too early to speculate about motives for the shooting, but said the suspect would possibly face weapons-related charges and attempted murder charges.
“Depending on the condition of the victim, that could be upgraded, of course,” he said.
Montague described the daytime shooting in a busy area as “brazen.”
“I’ve been a policeman for 20 years, I can’t recall anything similar happening in the last 20 years,” he said. “Quite disturbing, no doubt about it.”
Police said there were “hundreds of witnesses” to the crime, and that they’ve been inundated with people who have photographs and video of the incident. He asked witnesses to hold onto evidence for police to examine.
Montague said police are also in the process of returning children who were inside the science centre at the time to their school or guardians.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., a body that investigates incidents in which people are seriously injured or killed by police officers, is also looking into the incident.
With files from CTV Vancouver
