A Chilliwack, B.C., man is in custody after a shooting that left another man in stable, but critical condition on Sunday evening.
After more than 36 hours of silence on the incident, RCMP have revealed they closed off Chilliwack Lake Road for about three hours around 6 p.m., scouring the neighbourhood and nearby forest with dogs for the suspect.
A 48-year-old man was arrested around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday and has now been charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm with intent. A search of a property on Chilliwack Lake Road southeast of Vedder Road also resulted in the seizure of multiple firearms.
“Police would like to thank the public, particularly the neighbours, for their patience while we worked to bring this high risk situation to a safe conclusion,” Sgt. Krista Vrolyk said in the Tuesday news release.
“Investigators believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public.”
For the moment, there is no evidence that the shooting is connected to any ongoing gang conflicts, Vrolyk added.
The 35-year-old victim sustained an apparent life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg and remains in the hospital, according to RCMP.
Meanwhile, residents in the neighbourhood were left wondering what had happened Sunday night that caused local traffic to back up for hours.
Kevin Hodge told Global News he was selling hot dogs at an outdoor stand when he first heard the sirens whizz by.
“I stayed inside and locked the doors just in case,” he said. “It would be nice to know in more detail (what happened).”
Cathy Warkentin said she was out walking the dogs around 8:30 p.m., when she decided to shelter indoors as well.
“The neighbours came running out and said, ‘Quick get back home, there’s a gunman on the loose.’ So we turned around and hightailed it back,” she recalled. “It was scary.”
RCMP officers could be seen outside the Chilliwack Lake Road home on Monday, which was cordoned off with yellow police tape. Investigators laid numbered markers on the land, and bagged and labelled evidence.
A black forensic identification tent was also set up outside.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Chilliwack detachment at 604-792-4611 and reference the file 2023-36874. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.