UPDATE: Kamloops RCMP investigating North Shore homicide

KAMLOOPS – A homicide investigation is underway after a man was killed in an assault outside a Kamloops restaurant on the North Shore yesterday afternoon.

RCMP say they were called at about 4:47 p.m., Jan. 22, to the 400 block of Tranquille Road after a 30-year-old man was seriously hurt during an assault.

The male suspect was gone by the time police arrived at the Hatsuki Sushi restaurant.

Sam Zhang, owner of Hatsuki Sushi, says his staff witnessed the stabbing. According to a waitress who saw the incident, Zhang says the victim and suspect came to the restaurant with a third person, a woman, after drinking at the nearby Duchess. They went into the Hatsuki Sushi but went back outside immediately, where an argument escalated. When the victim turned to come back inside he was attacked.

"He was stabbed when he tried to open the door," Zhang says. "Maybe looking for a safe place."

After the stabbing Zhang says his staff saw the attacker run away, while the woman stayed with the victim until police arrived.

"The manager tried to stop the bleeding, it didn't seem too serious," Zhang says.

The victim was transported to Royal Inland Hospital by ambulance and died at about 11:25 p.m., Staff Sgt. Edward Preto says in a media release.

"It was just scary," Zhang says. "Everyone was scared last night. It was terrible."

Preto says the Kamloops RCMP Serious Crime Unit is investigating the homicide and the hunt is on for the suspect.

“This is not a random event and there was a connection between the victim and suspect,” he says in the release.

RCMP say they know who the suspect is, but are not releasing his name at this time.

Police have also not released the name of the victim or indicated whether or not a weapon was used during the assault.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) to remain anonymous.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 1:20 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 to add additional information from RCMP about suspect.

— This story was updated at 3:18 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 to add information from restaurant owner Sam Zhang.