Police investigating 3 Downtown Eastside shootings within 24 hours
Three separate shootings in 15 hours on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have sent four people to hospital, with one of the incidents believed to be linked to gang activity.
Vancouver police said the shots were fired within a kilometre of each other between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
Officers were called to the first incident around 4 p.m. PT in the area of Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue, about two blocks from Oppenheimer Park. A 50-year-old Surrey man was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition, police said.
Police described that shooting as isolated and targeted. No arrests have been made.
The second incident happened several blocks west, near Abbott and Pender streets, about two hours later. Police initially released very few details, other than to say it is not believed to be related to the earlier shooting.
On Monday, police confirmed a 28-year-old man from Langley and a 25-year-old man from Surrey were injured as a result of that shooting. Their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Around 6:30 a.m. PT Monday, officers were called to a third shooting in front of the Grand Union Hotel at Abbott and Hastings streets, a block to the north. Local news crews reporting on the previous two shootings were standing within earshot when the third series of shots rang out.
A 50-year-old Vancouver man was injured in that shooting and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
VPD Major Crime detectives are investigating all three incidents. In a news release Monday afternoon, they said all three shootings are believed to have been targeted and may be linked to gang activity.
Last week, Vancouver police raised concerns about increasing crime levels on the Downtown Eastside. They say they have placed more officers in the area, including gang crime specialists.
A trailer with a camera will also be placed around the Downtown Eastside to monitor criminal activity, Vancouver police said.
"These three shootings, in such a short time frame, highlight the escalating violence on the Downtown Eastside," Deputy Chief Constable Howard Chow said in a statement.
"Criminals are looking to take advantage of the current situation and are putting vulnerable people at risk."
'Still shaken up'
Lorna Bird, president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), said the first shooting happened outside the door of its overdose prevention site at 380 Hastings Street just before 4 p.m. PT.
Bird described the victim as a man in his 40s, but not a regular at VANDU. She said the shooting was drug-related and has the organization worried about the safety of its volunteers. Up to 13 people work at the site at any given time, she said.
"One girl working the front desk ... is still shaken up," Bird said, adding no one at VANDU was physically injured from the shooting.
Ann Livingston, co-founder of VANDU, also believes the first shooting is linked to the drug trade.
"There really isn't that many shootings down here. To have this many shootings in one Sunday, Monday ... I see this as a real aggressive move."
VANDU will hold an emergency board meeting on Monday to discuss the incident, Bird said, and how to keep the site safe.
Police raised concerns about safety in the area this week. Officers announced they have seized 453 firearms across the entire city so far this year with nearly half coming from District 2, which includes Oppenheimer Park and the Downtown Eastside.
"It's getting very dangerous down here," said Evelyn Nelles, 64, who has lived in the area for more than a decade. "I'm getting very scared to walk the streets now, even during the day."
The Vancouver Police Department is asking anyone with dashcam or cellphone footage of any of the shootings to contact them.
