Vancouver Island major crime unit investigating ‘targeted’ murder in Sayward

CHEK
WatchPolice are investigating a murder that took place in Sayward on Saturday. Dean Stoltz has more.

Vancouver Island’s major crime unit is investigating a “targeted” murder that took place in Sayward over the weekend.

According to Sayward RCMP, officers were called to a residence in the 900-block of Frenchman Road on Saturday afternoon, where they found a man suffering life-threatening injuries.

The man eventually died from his injuries and the incident is now being investigated by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) as a homicide.

BC RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet told CHEK News a Sayward man was taken into custody and although he was later released, he remains a person of interest.

“He is a person of interest and until we finish the investigation we won’t know what role that person has to play,” she said.

Shoihet also said the murder appears to be an “isolated and targeted” incident in the community as the victim and the man who remains a person of interest knew each other.

“The men were known to each other and we do believe this is an isolated and targeted incident,” she said, adding that there is no “wider” risk to the community.

The victim died while being transported to hospital, but how he died is not being disclosed publicly at this point.

“The means by which the man came to his death is being held close to our chest until we can figure out what implications saying how he died will have in the investigation,” said Shoihet.

Saturday’s murder is the first in Sayward since 30-year-old John Dillon Brown was found dead in his car beside the one way bridge on Sayward Road back in 2016. Police eventually charged Campbell River Devil’s Army president Ricky Alexander with Dillon’s murder, that trial is expected to get underway in the coming weeks.

Asked whether there are any gang connections to the murder, Soiheit said it is too early to tell.

“I don’t think there are any gang links at this point, but certainly it would be very early to make those determinations,” she said. “As you can imagine, it is very early. It happened on Saturday, so we are still working through the investigation.”

VIIMCU along with members from the Sayward RCMP and the Integrated Forensic Identification Services (IFIS) are expected to remain on scene until as late as Tuesday.

The victim’s name and age in this homicide has not been released.

[email protected]

Nicholas PescodNicholas Pescod
Dean StoltzDean Stoltz

Recent Stories

Send us your news tips and videos!