A young boy's father was taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot in Coquitlam, and Mounties say it may have been a targeted attack.
RCMP is now investigating the weekend Westwood Plateau shooting — the first publicly reported shooting in the city in nearly seven months — in which the man was in a vehicle with his nine-year-old son in the backseat.
Spokesperson Cpl. Paige Kuz says police believe the incident was not "completely random" and there's "insufficient information" to either rule out or link the incident to ongoing gang violence in the Lower Mainland.
"As you can appreciate, this incident occurred just over 24 hours ago and it is much too early to speculate on motive or associations," explains Kuz in a news release today (Dec. 5).
"We know this is an unsettling event in our community and we are working diligently to gather facts and evidence so that we may find those responsible for this incident."
On Saturday (Dec. 4) after 4:40 p.m., Mounties were called to the 1600-block of Chickadee Place where residents reported sounds of shots fired.
They found the victim had suffered a gunshot wound and paramedics transported him to hospital to be treated for injuries. He has since been released.
A silver sedan was believed to have been seen leaving the neighbourhood after the shooting, according to police.
In photos submitted to the Tri-City News, several dozen evidence markers were placed at the scene and a section of Chickadee Place was taped off.
Coquitlam RCMP's Major Crime Section is now reaching out to the public for help in its investigation, specifically from those who may have been in the Westwood Plateau area between 4:20 and 5:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Mounties are asking for:
- Dashcam video
- Residential video
- Security video
- General video
Anyone with more information is encouraged to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and ask for the Major Crime Section, anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online to www.solvecrime.ca.
