Two people are dead and two people have been arrested following a mid-day shooting in Whistler, RCMP have confirmed.
The incident happened at around 12:15 p.m. Sunday near the Sundial Hotel and the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre.
According to an Whistler RCMP statement issued after 6 p.m., one person died at the scene and the second succumbed to injuries after being taken to a local medical clinic.
Mounties say they are unsure if the shooting and a recently discovered burned car are related, or whether there are links to an ongoing gang conflict, but believe there is no “ongoing risk” to public safety.
“I’m confident with the work done by our investigators that there remains no risk to community safety,” Insp. Robert Dyskstra, officer in charge of the Sea to Sky RCMP, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a joint investigation involving the RCMP and The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now underway.
Gruesome video shared widely online shows two people, who had apparently been wounded by gunfire.
The incident saw businesses and hotels in the area locked down and Whistler Blackcomb has since closed for the remainder of the day.
Sara Roston, a spokesperson for Whistler Blackcomb, says in an email that RCMP have cleared the Whistler area of any imminent danger, however, the resort would be closed for the day out of respect for guests and those affected by the shooting.
She says staff resumed operations temporarily to allow guests to come down the mountain on chair lifts and gondolas and leave safely.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence, and we stand in support of our community,” she says in the email.
With files from the Canadian Press
CHEK News
