Vancouver police say they have seized a cache of firearms and other weapons found at Oppenheimer Park.
Investigators say they were initially called to the park for a domestic dispute, but found no one injured and made no arrests.
Investigators said the weapons were found in a tent which appeared to be used by multiple people.
“When we were inside the tent in plain view there was multiple knives, bear spray, machetes and a number of firearms which were seized,” said Vancouver police spokesperson Aaron Roed.
“Those firearms do appear to be real as well as replicas. They are being analyzed by our officers now.”
Police say they seized an SKS rifle, two 6mm orange handguns, a rifle with the butt stock sawed off and a silver revolver.
They also seized an airsoft Glock replica handgun, an airsoft AR-15 replica rifle, and a suspected replica Uzi and suspected replica rifle receiver.
Roed said there were fewer than a dozen guns seized, but a large number of other weapons.
“In regards to the knives, the machetes, there was hatchets — upwards of probably 40 knives.”
Roed said the source and purpose of the weapons cache is now under investigation.
Police would not confirm a report that at least one of the weapons appeared to be an assault rifle, and would not speak to the types of firearms “as this is an ongoing investigation.”
Camp spokesperson Chrissy Brett said she was unaware of the number or type of weapons that had been discovered.
“We’ll just have to leave that up to police to continue their investigation,” she said.
“We understand the police responded to a domestic violence call here. We are community that are concerned about people’s safety.”
The province contracted the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) to conduct outreach in the camp in January, and since then both campers and the park’s neighbours say the situation has improved.
Peer workers with the PHS and the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WHARS) have been active in the park, and the area has seen a significant improvement in cleanliness.
Police say they have tagged the seized firearms as evidence, and were checking them to determine whether they are real or replicas.
— With files from Jordan Armstrong
Full list of seized weapons:
- one airsoft Glock handgun
- one SKS rifle
- one airsoft AR-15
- two 6mm cal. orange handguns
- one silver revolver
- suspected replica Uzi
- suspected replica rifle receiver
- one rifle butt stock sawed off
- seven cans of bear spray
- one compound hunting bow
- over 30 knives
- two machetes
- two axes
- two smoke grenades
- two smoke bombs
- one pair of handcuffs
- various shotgun shells and rifle ammunition
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