As police continue to investigate the killing of a man Friday night in Metchosin in what they describe as “targeted incident,” West Shore RCMP had to clarify Sunday that their presence in Esquimalt Lagoon Saturday was not related to that incident.
The police presence at the Esquimalt Lagoon last Saturday night was NOT related to the shooting in Metchosin. #esquimaltlagoon #yyj
— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) March 7, 2021
According to West Shore RCMP, the incident in Metchosin occurred just after 9 p.m. on March 5 in the 4600-block of Sooke Road (Highway 14). Police received reports that a man had been shot and when emergency crews – including the West Shore RCMP Police Dog Service and the Vancouver Island RCMP Emergency Response Team – arrived, they found a 37-year-old man known to police deceased at the scene.
“This was not a random act of violence,” said Const. Alex Berube, media relations officer for the West Shore RCMP, in a press event Saturday.
Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) had taken over the investigation and police have not yet made any arrests.
RELATED: VIDEO: One man shot dead in ‘targeted incident’ on Sooke Road
The incident resulted in Sooke Road being closed in both directions in the area from late Friday night until 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Berube said Saturday will be on scene through the weekend but he added that the blockade perimeter would shrink as the investigation proceeded.
Police are asking anyone information or who was in the area between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. to contact investigators. The public can reaach VIIMCU at (250) 380-6211 and West Shore RCMP at (250) 474-2264. Dash-cam footage can also be submitted to police to aid in the investigation.
The Peninsula News Review has reached to West Shore RCMP and will update this story.
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