Motive in killing of beloved Kitsilano park caretaker a mystery to residents, police

Residents of a quiet, beachside area of Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood are struggling to understand why someone would kill the beloved caretaker of their local park.

Police have confirmed Justis Daniel, 77, was found dead in the Tatlow Park caretaker’s residence around 11 a.m. on Friday.

Officers believe Daniel was killed sometime between Thursday morning and the time that he was located by paramedics, who were conducting a welfare check after a friend of his reached out.

“This person who knew Mr. Daniel said they hadn’t seen him in several days and, therefore, wanted us to check on is wellbeing,” VPD Const. Tania Visintin told reporters Sunday.

“He’s obviously very well known to the community and had a great rapport with people. We’ve only been hearing good things. Obviously, this is very concerning and very troubling. We don’t know who did this. We don’t know why they did this. He had no police record.”

Asked if there was a sign of a struggle or a break-in at the residence, Visintin would only say the case remains under investigation.

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Neighbours around Tatlow Park described the area as “wholesome” and the park always filled with children.

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One woman, who lives across the street, said Daniel was friendly and outgoing. He would always stop to chat on his way to a nearby cafe.

“He really took care of the neighbourhood and would always watch out for everybody,” she said.

“I don’t know who would want to hurt somebody like that. He was just the best.”

Another neighbour who said she’d known Daniel for years said his absence will be felt heavily.

“He was a wonderful man,” she said. “He was creative, he was quite beautiful with people, and we’re going to miss him a lot.”

Police towed Daniel’s Honda Pilot from the scene on Saturday morning. Officers were canvassing door-to-door in the area.

The VPD is asking for dashcam footage and for any witnesses who were in the area of Tatlow Park, Point Grey Road and West 3rd between Balaclava and MacDonald between 7 a.m. on Dec. 9 and 11 a.m. Dec. 10.