VANCOUVER - A shooting in south Nanaimo has left four people injured this morning. There are unconfirmed reports two of the victims have died.
Global News has yet to confirm the fatalities.
Nanaimo RCMP say four people were shot and taken to hospital. The Vancouver Island Health Authority say one person is in critical condition and one is listed as stable but referred questions about the remaining victims to either the coroner and the RCMP, neither of which provided any additional information.
The victims were transported to hospital via ground and air. One person was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital while the other three were taken to Nanaimo Regional Hospital.
Ian Howat, Nanaimo's acting city manager, alerted councillors that a shooting occurred at the Western Forest Products Mill on Nanaimo's Assembly Wharf at about 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Global BC viewer Cheryl Johnson contacted us on Facebook as her husband works at the mill. She says a man came into the mill this morning. '[My husband] called me from work at the mill this morning, and a guy came in with a shotgun and a handgun, and shot four people,' she says.
A suspect has been arrested, but he has not been identified. There are rumours the man was an ex-employee but that has not been confirmed.
About 30 to 40 people work at the mill, but there were less people at work this morning because the mill was not planning on shipping any items today.
Captain Edward Dahlgren, director of operations and harbourmaster, says there is no ongoing safety concern and staff have been sent home. They are also asking family members to stay home as well.
'We deployed a member to assist in CPR after initial reports,' says Dahlgren, adding that they are now reviewing internal security protocols. WATCH: Capt. Dahlgren speaks to Sonia Sunger on BC1:
Pat Kinney of the United Steelworkers, which represents workers at the mill, also confirmed there had been a shooting but knew little else.
'At this point, we don't know if there are any fatalities or the status of the individuals,' he says.
'We don't have any names either at this point. (There has been) no mention of the shooter other than he has been apprehended.'
Work at the Assembly Wharf has now been shut down with no word on when it will reopen.
Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan says it has been an emotional morning in the city.
'We're shocked and disappointed obviously,' he says.
The mill has undergone a series of restructuring operations over the last decade beginning with closure of its Silvertree sawmill in 2005.
It then acquired Cascadia mills and Englewood, and further restructuring took place in 2009 and 2010 in response to weak worldwide lumber markets.
The company's corporate office was also relocated to Vancouver. The company has sold off a number of non-core assets since 2008 to pay down long-term debt.
We will update this post when more details become available. Nanaimo RCMP will be holding a press conference at 12 and we will be livestreaming it here. - With files from The Canadian Press
© Shaw Media, 2014
Post By http://globalnews.ca/news/1301120/police-incident-in-south-nanaimo/
0 comments Blogger 0 Facebook
Post a Comment