“The whole community is feeling it,”
That’s from Prince Rupert Mayor Herbert Pond on yesterday’s (Monday) shooting at Ocean Centre Mall that claimed the lives of two people.
In an interview with Vista Radio, Pond stated the last thing the community needs is unnecessary panic.
“The community doesn’t need to feel unsafe. This is not street fights from drug gangs breaking out or other things like that and so, we need to breathe in, we need to allow a time for grieving and we need to hug each other and hold each other up.”
The suspect, a 44-year-old man, is believed to have shot the victim, a 52-year-old woman before attempting to take his own life.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was taken to hospital, and succumbed to his injuries.
RCMP responded to the call just after 8:30 AM and found it was not an active shooter situation, but an isolated incident between two people.
Both people were known to each other.
The suspect’s identity will not be released at this time.
Pond who has spent 35 years in Prince Rupert, over half of that time spent in public office, stated this is the most violent crime he’s heard in the small coastal city of about 12,000 people.
“Every community has tragedies of some sort but this one really is at a different level.”
“I’ve seen social media posts where people use keywords and every one of them applies. I am just shocked that it happened in our peaceful little community. It’s the last thing you expect.”
Pond added the city won’t make any knee-jerk reactions to public safety and will take a more methodical approach instead.
“Once we’ve got really solid facts we may look at policies but Prince Rupert is every bit as safe this morning as it was the morning before this incident. This is just a terribly tragic incident but it is a one-off.”
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Premier David Eby, Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mitzi Dean, Minister of Children and Family Development, and Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, have released the following statement after a shooting in Prince Rupert:
“On Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, there was a serious police incident in Prince Rupert that left one person deceased, an employee of the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s regional office. Another person was critically injured and has died.
“This was a violent act committed against someone who worked to serve local children and families. This is traumatic news that no family expects to receive, and it’s a tragic event for the tight-knit community of Prince Rupert.
“Our thoughts are with the victim of this horrific tragedy, their family, and friends. Our hearts also go out to those who acted immediately to provide emergency care, those who may have witnessed this violence, and anyone whose safety was threatened by yesterday’s events. We are here for you, and we will be in the days, weeks, and months to come.
“This remains an ongoing police incident and an active investigation.”