Vancouver police are looking for two suspects after a shop customer suffered a bullet wound during an armed robbery of a Kingsway holistic store late Sunday afternoon.
Just after 5 p.m. Sunday, two suspects disguised with masks entered the Stepping Stone Holistic Living store on Kingsway near Clarendon Street and began making demands.
WATCH: Innocent bystander shot during pot-shop robbery
One suspect produced a gun and opened fire, reportedly striking a customer in the leg. Vancouver police would not confirm this Monday.
The suspects fled the store. It’s not known if they made off with any store goods.
The injured bystander, a 32-year-old Vancouver man, was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
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According to its website, Stepping Stone Holistic Living sells its own cannabis products and herbal supplements. It is not on the list of dispensaries the City of Vancouver has granted licenses to.
The manager of the store would not comment on the crime to Global News.
In a statement to Global News, the Ministry on the Community Safety Unit said “a new Community Safety Unit (CSU) within the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is in development and will have the authority to deal with illegal sales outside the provincial regulatory framework.”
“Illegal retailers that do not obtain a provincial licence will have to close, and as more legal retail stores open across the province, you can expect to see increasing enforcement action by the Community Safety Unit. Once fully staffed, it is expected that the CSU will be comprised of approximately 44 FTEs operating province-wide out of four regional offices. Several key positions have been filled and these staff are actively engaged in development work to support the creation of this new Unit. Note that CSU investigators will identify themselves and present official ID.”
The ministry also said police have the authority to enforce laws with respect to cannabis.
“This includes authority to make seizures, issue violation tickets and investigate and prosecute offences under both the provincial statutes and the federal criminal law. It’s important to note that the province does not provide operational direction to police forces; police set their own operational priorities based on their assessment of the needs of the community and they allocate resources accordingly,” reads the statement.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Vancouver Police Major Crime Unit at (604)-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
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