Whitehorse shooting victim dies, police now investigating as homicide

Yukon RCMP say the victim of a shooting Wednesday night in Whitehorse has died of his injuries, and the case is now being treated as a homicide.

Police also say they believe the shooting, which happened Wednesday around 6:40 p.m. in the Porter Creek neighbourhood, "was not random." 

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RCMP provided a few more details at a media briefing on Thursday afternoon. They said the 25-year-old victim was from B.C. but they did not release his name.

RCMP Insp. Keith MacKinnon said there were two vehicles involved in the incident, and there were reports of "multiple" shots being fired.

The victim was driving one of the vehicles. A passenger in that vehicle was not hurt, police said.

RCMP said they're still looking for the other vehicle that was seen leaving the scene after the shooting. They describe it as a "newer-style" red Dodge Ram pickup truck with a crew cab.

MacKinnon said the RCMP Major Crimes Unit has now taken over the investigation.

"We understand that this situation, compounded with other violent crimes that have recently occurred in the city, creates some fear and unease in the community," MacKinnon said.

"The information we currently have about this incident indicates that this shooting was not random."

'This is like gangland stuff'

The shooting is the seventh homicide in Yukon so far this year. Most of them are still active police investigations, with no suspects having been arrested.

• Yukon's unusually violent year: 8 homicides in 12 months

​​​Wednesday night's killing also comes almost a year after another fatal shooting in Porter Creek, also unsolved. 32-year-old Matthew Devellano was shot outside a home on Oct. 8, 2016.

A Radio-Canada reporter was talking to pedestrians in downtown Whitehorse on Thursday about the latest shooting, when she found Tracey Maher, who identified herself as Devellano's mother.

Maher said she's still trying to deal with losing her son, and the fact that his murder is still unsolved.

She's lived in Whitehorse for 24 years but is preparing to leave.

"[Whitehorse] has definitely changed, for sure ... this is like gangland stuff, you know, drive-by shootings," she said.

Maher said another of her sons — Devellano's twin brother — has already left town because he was struggling to cope with his brother's death. Maher herself is preparing to retire.

"I'm going to leave town for the winter, and see if that helps. I don't want to be here for the first anniversary of his death," she said.

"It's pretty tough when there's no closure."