4 people shot at Nanaimo mill, suspect arrested
Posted Apr 30, 2014 12:28:55 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Four people have been shot and a suspect was taken into custody Wednesday morning at a lumber mill on Vancouver Island, the RCMP and a union official confirmed.
All of the victims were transported to hospital.
The local health authority said one person was in critical condition and another in stable condition, but referred questions about the remaining victims to either the coroner and the RCMP, neither of which provided any additional information.
The shooting happened at a Western Forest Products sawmill in Nanaimo, a typically quiet coastal city located more than 100 kilometres north of Victoria.
The Mounties said they were called at about 7 a.m. local time after reports of shots fired, and within minutes officers were on the scene and took a suspect into custody.
Police hadn’t released any information about the identity of the victims, the suspect or a potential motive for the shooting.
Sarah Plank of the Island Health Authority confirmed one person was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital, where the victim’s condition was listed as critical. Another was at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in stable condition, she said.
Plank referred questions about the remaining two victims to the either the BC Coroners Service or the RCMP. The RCMP couldn’t be reached and a spokeswoman for the corners service could not confirm whether the agency was involved.
Pat Kinney of the United Steelworkers, which represents workers at the mill, said the union was aware of the shooting but knew little else.
“At this point, we don’t know if there are any fatalities or the status of the individuals,” he said.
“We don’t have any names either at this point. (There has been) no mention of the shooter other than he has been apprehended.”
At the mill, crying family members had gathered outside the facility, awaiting word about whether their loved ones were involved. One worker said the mill’s employees had been sent home for the day.
The Mounties were expected to hold a news conference in Nanaimo at around noon local time.
