Two men were charged with attempted murder, Wednesday, following a brazen daylight shooting outside a restaurant on Tuesday afternoon in Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood, police say.
Liban Hassan, 35, and Ahmed Ismail, 24, remain in police custody, and are due in court next week.
A man carrying a baby in a car seat, a woman, and a three-year-old child were exiting the Bells & Whistles restaurant near West 29 Avenue and Dunbar Street just after 5:30 p.m. when two suspects opened fire, police said.
A 42-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, police said. No one else was hurt.
“These two kids definitely had some guardian angels looking out for them that night,” spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said.
The suspects took off in a vehicle, collided with a parked vehicle and then fled on foot, police said. They were arrested shortly afterwards.
One person told Global News they saw the suspects hiding in a yard when officers moved in.
Police believe the shooting was targeted.
“This was a reckless act in a heavily populated area, very early in the evening,” Visintin said.
“It’s frightening for the neighbourhood and the consequences could have been far worse. This type of crime is not welcome in Vancouver.”
Anyone with dashcam footage from between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of West 29th Avenue from Dunbar to Alma is asked to call investigators at 604-717-2541.