Police investigating 2 separate shootings near Kelowna just hours apart

Police in B.C.'s Interior are investigating a homicide that closed part of a highway in West Kelowna Sunday morning. (Nicholas Johansen/Castanet.net)

Vancouver — Police in B.C.'s Interior are investigating a homicide and a shooting that left a woman with serious injuries just a few hours later.

B.C. RCMP's Southeast District Major Crime Unit says in a news release that it has been called to investigate "the circumstances surrounding a shooting" and the death of a man near Highway 97 between Butt and Grizzly roads.

"In order to facilitate a thorough investigation of this incident, Highway 97 has been closed in this area," police said in their release. "It is unknown at this time when the highway can be reopened."

Police said the incident "has the characteristics of a targeted shooting," adding that they're looking to speak to anyone who was in the area between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Sunday.

Drivers with dash cam video who were travelling on the highway during that time are of particular interest, police said. The highway was closed for much of Sunday morning, but has since reopened.

The BC Coroners Service is also conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the man's death.

Castanet.net reports police on the other side of Okanagan Lake, in Rutland, are investigating a separate shooting that sent a woman to Kelowna General Hospital around 6 a.m.

A news release from Kelowna RCMP indicates that the woman arrived at the hospital around that time with an apparent gunshot injury. Police said the woman's injuries are believed to be serious.

Officers investigating the Rutland shooting spent Sunday morning and some of the afternoon at what police described as a residence in the 100 block of Prior Road South. Castanet has identified the building in question as the Golden Age Apartments.

Police said their investigation is in its early stages.

CTV News Vancouver has reached out to Kelowna RCMP to ask whether there is any connection between the two shooting incidents. So far, police have not given any indication that the incidents are related.