VANCOUVER — Vancouver police are describing the city’s latest homicide as a case of road rage, after a man was shot to death early Friday morning under the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge.
“The investigation is ongoing and we do have our homicide investigators working very hard to try to determine the motive of this, but … we do believe this was a road rage situation,” said Vancouver Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Robillard.
Shortly after 1:30 a.m., the VPD received a call about a man shot near Bridgeway Street, which runs beneath the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge. A short time later police found a 33-year-old Vancouver man, who had died from gunshot wounds.
A woman believed to be in the same vehicle as the victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. She has since been released.
Robillard said he could not share information about what evidence led police to believe the incident was related to a traffic dispute. He also declined to answer whether the victim or witness were known to police.
He said the victim was in a grey Toyota Matrix, and the suspected shooter was in a white sedan.
Robillard fielded reporters’ questions about the alleged road rage incident at a Friday press conference which had been organized to provide an update on a major gang bust.
“We’re still trying to piece all the evidence together to determine what exactly happened here, and our investigators are working as we speak to try to do that,” Robillard said.
Robillard did not say whether the public had any reason for concern.
In response to an inquiry about whether such incidents pose any risk to the public, a representative of the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety replied in an email: “As this matter remains under investigation by police it’s not appropriate to comment at this time.”
No arrests have been made, and the identity of the victim has not been released as the police work to notify family. This marked Vancouver’s 14th homicide of 2018.
Homicide investigators are asking anyone who may have dash cam or video footage taken near the intersection of McGill Street and Renfrew Street on Friday morning between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. to contact homicide detectives at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
— With a file from Dan Fumano
