Police have arrested one man in relation to a shooting north of Courtenay early Thursday morning.
At approximately 5:50 a.m., the Comox Valley RCMP took one man into custody without incident, with the assistance of the Island District Emergency Response Team.
The man was located inside a residence on the 2200 block of Coleman Road. A firearm was recovered as part of this investigation.
The 27-year-old Saanich resident remains in custody and criminal charges are pending.
“We’re working with Crown counsel. The investigation is far from over,” said Const. Rob Gardner, Comox Valley RCMP media relations officer. “We need to make sure all the evidence we have is going to go forward. We’ll consult with crown counsel. He has 24 hours to be seen in front of a judge. Charges have not been laid at this time but we’re working towards that.”
Gardner added police thank everyone in the north Courtenay area, as it has been “a very stressful 24 hours.”
“The assistance we’ve had from everyone in that area when it came to us, the calls we had about suspicious people, was amazing. It’s a great outcome.”
Because of the rural nature of the north Courtenay region, Gardner credited residents for tips given to police, as they are most familiar with the property and individuals within the area.
“As soon as they saw something or someone suspicious, they were able to call us. We followed up on tips pretty much all day yesterday and last night, and again this morning. We have to take all the evidence we have from everything that happened up there,” he said.
“There were a lot of things that were happening and a lot of pieces to the puzzle.”
Gardner confirmed the Island District Emergency Response Team was used to assist with the arrest, and that the victim was flown to a larger hospital for treatment of his injuries.
As the investigation is still ongoing, the Comox Valley RCMP are asking anyone to contact them with any further information, or finds anything suspicious on their property. They can be reached at: 250-338-1321 and cite file number 2018-3288.
– With files from Scott Strasser
