Shooter still at large
By Lauren Kelly, News Editor
Coquitlam RCMP have still not located the gunman who shot a man near Coquitlam Centre on May 22. The crime took place just after 3 p.m. in the mall’s parking lot, where a Heart and Stroke fundraiser was taking place. Witnesses at the event heard six gunshots, one of which hit the victim in the shoulder. Eleven bullet holes were counted on an SUV, including one that popped a tire and many in the side of the vehicle.
The victim and a female passenger were in the black SUV when they were shot at by someone in a vehicle described by the victim as a grey or white BMW. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jamie Chung confirmed that the attack was targeted and that the victim is known to them.
After the shooting, event coordinator Shelley Lycan told the Tri-City News that the SUV approached her at the Heart and Stroke event tents. The female passenger, who was grazed by a bullet, got out of the vehicle and asked if Lycan had a Band-Aid.
Bystanders managed to talk the victim out of his vehicle and onto the curb. A nurse attending the Heart and Stroke event used a first-aid kit on the victim and wrapped a blanket around his arm to slow the bleeding while they waited for an ambulance.
Two areas of the mall and nearby streets were closed off for hours following the attack while the RCMP questioned witnesses.
The victim has since been released from hospital with non-life threatening injuries, but he has not talked to the police about the crime and the police are still seeking witnesses.
Although shootings are not as common in Coquitlam as some of its neighbouring cities, on May 6 a man was shot with a pellet gun during a robbery at Pipeline Road and Lincoln Avenue, just a few blocks east of the Coquitlam Centre attack. These events are unrelated, but the attack was also targeted.
If you have any information about the Coquitlam Centre shooting, please contact Crime Stoppers or the Coquitlam RCMP.
