A 34-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after he was shot at a home in Nanaimo early Friday morning, according to RCMP.
Around 2 a.m., police were called to the home in the 2300-block of Bowen Road, where officers applied emergency first aid until paramedics arrived and transported the man to hospital, Mounties say.
Douglas Anderson, who lives next door, says he was heading to bed when he “heard a big ruckus” coming from his neighbours’ house.
“I thought they were fighting, like normal, and I guess not. He was shot in the leg,” Anderson told CHEK News.
“I went in and I actually saw him calling for help from his girlfriend. I happened to look in through the broken window and saw that he was bleeding out of his leg.”
He says he knows the victim quite well, adding, “He’s a friend. A neighbour.”
Police found the shotgun at the scene that had been discharged.
Based on the information gathered, police believe the shooting was a targeted, isolated incident with no further risk to the public, according to Const. Gary O’Brien, media relations officer with Nanaimo RCMP.
“At this time, due to the condition of the victim, investigators are unable to provide a description of the suspects or the vehicle they fled in,” O’Brien added in a release.
Neighbours say they hope it’s listed as a nuisance property by the city as they want peace in the neighbourhood
“I’m kind of fed up with it. We’ve had the police there so many times and they know they’re a problem so I’m kind of frustrated that it’s come to this. We’ve only lived here five or six months and it’s just been a nightmare,” said Anna, a neighbour who declined to give her last name.
Police secured the home as forensic specialists examined the scene for much of Friday. They left in the afternoon.
Investigators are asking anyone who saw a vehicle being driven in the area around the time of the shooting, or has information about the incident, to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 quoting file #2022-42988.
Photos: CHEK News
Kendall Hanson
