Man in serious condition after shooting at Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park
Police set up a perimeter for several hours around the park, which is site of homeless encampment
A man was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot late Thursday afternoon at Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver police say.
Police were called to the park just after 5:30 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to hospital. B.C. Emergency Health Services said the victim was in serious condition.
A large police presence gathered for several hours at the Downtown Eastside park, which is occupied by dozens of homeless campers.
Police established a perimeter around the park as uniformed tactical officers checked on tents with flashlights, accompanied by police dogs. Police patted down residents and checked their pockets.
TransLink detoured several buses due to the incident.
By 8 p.m., officers removed the police tape. In a statement later that evening, police said they were investigating and declined to provide more information.
Police are at every corner of the park. <a href="https://t.co/H2bHc7NbPQ">pic.twitter.com/H2bHc7NbPQ</a>
—@jphballardParamedic crews were responding to a call about a potential overdose shortly before 6 p.m. and were two blocks from Oppenheimer Park when they heard gunshots, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.
The crews were speaking to emergency dispatch and alerted them about the shooting. Police were then notified.
The paramedics continued to their overdose call but four other units, including a paramedic specialist and supervisor, were dispatched to Oppenheimer Park.
Tina Anderson lives a block away from the park and said she heard four gunshots sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
She then heard police sirens and saw police cars pull up at the northwest corner of the park at Powell and Dunlevy streets.
The park has housed a homeless encampment for more than a year.
Police warned in September that public safety in the area was deteriorating, citing an increase in emergency calls to the park and assaults against officers between 2018 and 2019.
In July, a 31-year-old man was shot next to the park and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. And in late October, a 53-year-old woman was seriously injured after she was accidentally shot by her son near the park.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Park Board said it planned to obtain an injunction to stop people from camping there.
It's also hiring an outside agency to assess the park and make recommendations for safety, support and shelter alternatives for campers.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to call VPD's Major Crime Section at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
With files from Joel Ballard