Police in Merritt, B.C., are investigating an early morning shooting in the city.
Merritt RCMP said they were contacted early Friday for possible gunshots heard in the 2100 block of Priest Ave.
When officers arrived, they deemed the shooting to be targeted.
“The callers identified a distinctive mid ’90s grey Dodge Ram pickup with a maroon box in the area at the time of the shooting,” said Sgt. Josh Roda.
“The truck then fled the scene at a high rate of speed.”
Shortly after the reports of the shooting, a complaint was received by police for a burning vehicle.
Police believe it’s the same truck that was used in Friday morning’s shooting, which was deemed to have been stolen around 5:30 a.m.
“It’s believed that the truck was stolen solely for the purpose of the shooting, then it was dumped and burned near the Highway 5 and Highway 5a on-ramp at an area known as the Goedy Creek pit,” Roda said.
The reported shooting comes three days after a number of targeted shootings in the city.
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RCMP say they were alerted of multiple shootings between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
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“We strongly believe that this incident is associated with the ongoing investigation of the shooting that occurred earlier this week,” said Roda.
“Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries from the shooting, and investigators are continuing their tireless efforts to identify and apprehend the suspects in these brazen events.”
In those shootings, more than 100 shots were fired in three different locations, two on Indigenous reserve land outside the city and one within the city.
Police said they know multiple suspects were traveling around in vehicles.
Merritt RCMP are looking to speak with potential witnesses, and has put out a request for CCTV and dash-camera footage from the area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262.
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