Missed the news this week? Not to worry! Here’s a quick roundup of the stories that made headlines across the Okanagan over the last few days.
UPDATE: Man rushed to hospital following afternoon shooting in Kelowna
On March 29, police officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot behind Global Fitness and Dakoda’s Sports Bar and Grill. He was transported to Kelowna General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A follow-up story identified the man as Kyle Gianis, where it is believed that the shooting was gang-related. Gianis is said to have survived two other targeted shootings in the Lower Mainland.
Witnesses told police they saw a man fleeing the scene in a grey or silver car. Mounties found a matching car burning on Longhill Road shortly after. Fire crews responded to the area to douse the blaze.
Bush party stabbing near Kelowna injured 8 people, 2 teens in serious condition
Just before 2 a.m. on March 28, authorities were called to the Postill Lake Road area after eight people were stabbed at a bush party. Seven people were treated for stab wounds, while another was treated for injuries caused by a blunt object.
RCMP said that a group of teenagers were partying in the area when a second group arrived. The situation escalated into a violent altercation.
Two males, aged 18 and 16, were transported to the hospital for serious stab wounds. Four adult men — three aged 19 and one 18 — and a 17-year-old male youth sustained non-life-threatening wounds and have since been released from hospital. A 25-year old woman was also treated for injuries caused by a blunt object.
The suspect, another adult male, has been released from police custody without charge pending further investigation. Mounties have identified potential suspects from both parties involved in the altercation.
Camp set up beside Penticton’s iconic Peach, blocking Chamber office
A large tent popped up beside Penticton’s iconic Peach at the end of March, blocking the washrooms and the Penticton Chamber office. The pair who pitched the tent are allegedly well known to the city’s bylaw officers.
“They are known to us as rough sleepers. But this was not an ideal location for them to be. They were blocking Chamber staff from getting in the building and impacting the use of the washrooms,” said Tina Siebert, head of Penticton’s bylaw department.
The pair weren’t happy about moving but bylaws gave them a time frame to move along.
Video: Car drives in wrong lane towards oncoming traffic on Highway 1 in Shuswap
A car was spotted driving in the wrong lane towards oncoming traffic on Highway 1 in Shuswap on Tuesday, March 30. According to one witness, the car travelled in the wrong lane from Balmoral to White Lake. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Staff Sgt. Scott West of the Salmon Arm RCMP said that if a driver makes a mistake while merging onto the highway on the divided stretch, there are no exits between Carlin and Balmoral that they can use to get on the right side of the dividers. West said a much better option for the errant driver would have been to get off the road and slowly reverse the way they came rather than proceeding the wrong way in the fast lane which he called very dangerous.
@aaron_hemensaaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
