Two men killed in separate shootings in B.C.’s Interior identified

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Police have identified two men killed in separate shootings in Kamloops, B.C., and say the victims were targeted by organized criminals.

RCMP Insp. Steve McLeod says 31-year-old Cody Mathieu and 41-year-old Rex Gill were found suffering from gunshot wounds at different hotels.

McLeod says police also located a vehicle associated with the shootings Wednesday but it had been set on fire.

He says it’s not yet known if the two incidents are linked but police will be working to crack down on gangs in the area and increase police presence around the city.

The shootings happened hours before unrelated violence in Kelowna, where a man was injured and the main entrance to that city’s shopping centre had to be closed.

Witnesses reported at least four shots were fired outside the entrance of a CIBC bank in the parking lot of the Orchard Park mall around 3 p.m., just beforeplainclothes officers and a tactical team arrested a man for unspecified incidents.

Police say he was treated in hospital after being injured during the arrest that also included a brief foot chase and damage to a cab that was boxed in by RCMP vehicles.

The civilian agency that investigates all police-involved cases of serious injury or death has been contacted to look into gunfire during the arrest. (CHNL, Kelowna Daily Courier)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version attributed RCMP comments to a different officer.