Two people are dead and two others are injured after being struck by a pickup truck outside a B.C. mall on Tsawwassen First Nation lands Wednesday—a tragedy police believe was caused by the driver suffering a “medical emergency.” The incident unfolded during a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation walk, with the vehicle crashing into an area of the Tsawwassen Mills parking lot where attendees were scheduled to meet once the event was over, according to the Delta Police Department. “Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic incident,” the department said in a news release. Police initially said the collision was “not related” to the walk, but later clarified some of the people present at the scene were preparing for a House Post unveiling ceremony that was part of the event. The two people killed have been identified as Tsawwassen First Nation elders. Witness Rafael Saenz told CTV News he didn’t see the crash, which happened around 10:30 a.m., but saw several people on the ground in the immediate aftermath. “I was literally 10 feet away from them,” Saenz said. “It was pretty traumatizing. I don’t know how to describe it but I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” The witness said there were more than a dozen emergency vehicles at the scene and multiple helicopters overhead as paramedics performed CPR on some of the victims. “There were people crying next to them,” Saenz said. Police said there is no ongoing risk to public safety, and asked anyone with information or video taken around the time of the incident to come forward. “The investigation remains in its early stages as officers work to determine all of the circumstances surrounding the collision,” the department added. In a statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed to suggest that the deceased were Tsawwassen First Nation elders, though the nation did not share any identifying details about them in its own statements. “To lose two beloved elders—in such a terrifying accident and on a day already so heavy with grief—is devastating,” the prime minister said in a social media post. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of those who died, those who were injured, and the entire community who are in grief and shock.” B.C. Emergency Health Services said it received a call about the incident shortly after 10:30 a.m. and dispatched 12 ground ambulances and two air ambulances to the scene. The crash prompted an emergency alert from the Tsawwassen First Nation. “An incident is currently in progress that has ended our Truth & Reconciliation event,” the alert said. “Participants are asked to walk back the way we came and stay out of the area.” B.C. NDP Leader David Eby addressed the tragedy while speaking at a separate Truth and Reconciliation event in Kamloops Wednesday. “It’s very difficult news in Tsawwassen, right now,” Eby told the crowd. “We send our love to the people of Tsawwassen, Tsawwassen First Nation, with respect and appreciation for the work that they’re doing now to support the community in the wake of this tragedy.” The Tsawwassen event began at 9:30 a.m. at the First Nation’s recreation centre, which is a short walk away from the Tsawwassen Mills parking lot. The House Post unveilling was scheduled to happen at 10:15. Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson was among the attendees, according to a post on social media that has since been deleted. The Tsawwassen First Nation issued a statement Wednesday afternoon extending “sincere gratitude to the Delta Police Department, emergency responders, and community members who assisted during the incident.”
