Campbell River RCMP is investigating after an unsanctioned grad party held late Friday night resulted in shots being fired.
The shooting happened early Saturday morning in an area of numerous lakes and recreation sites about 40 minutes west of Campbell River.
30-40 young people celebrating graduation had gathered near Fry Lake when a different group showed up with a firearm. Police say that once the firearm was on the scene, several shots were reportedly fired into the air.
CHEK News has been told the grads were frightened and were hiding in some of the bushes.
There is no cell service in the area but one of the students used a Garmin InReach satellite device to message for help.
“It said ‘shots fired, shots in the air’ so there was a multiple-member response out to the area. What appears to have happened is they did fire some shots into the air and they did damage some of the vehicles that were at the group campsite,” Campbell River RCMP Constable Maury Tyre told CHEK News.
Police aren’t sure what the motive was and say the suspects were gone when they arrived.
Police add that social media may have played a part in sharing where the party was being held, adding that it was not a random shooting.
“So we are looking to identify these individuals and honestly when we’re dealing with firearms even if they are being shot in the air, any use in the middle of the night in that manner is a very serious offence and it is something we take very seriously,” added Tyre.
The Campbell River School District declined to comment Monday citing the fact that the Fry Lake party was not an official school event.
Dean Stoltz
