Why police believe a Kamloops homicide victim may have been a case of mistaken identity

KAMLOOPS — The shooting of a Penticton man outside of a Kamloops hotel last month may have been the case of mistaken identity, police now say.

Rex Edward Gill, 41, was one of two men gunned down outside of separate hotels on Jan. 23. Cody Mathieu, 31, of Kamloops was found shot at the Super 8 Hotel in Valleyview and roughly two hours later, Gill was the shooting victim at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Aberdeen.

Police say only Mathieu was known to police and was a "participant in the local Kamloops drug trade", a media release says.

However, Gill has no connection to the local drug community and police are now exploring the possibility that this may have been a case of mistaken identity, according to a recent release.

RCMP have identified suspects who are also connected to the Kamloops drug trade and the investigation into the two homicides remains open and active.

Serious Crime Unit investigators are treating the case as a priority, police say.

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