A 39-year-old man suffered non-life threatening injuries when he was shot last Friday night at an apartment in the 800 block of 12th Street.
The details of what led to the Oct. 30 shooting are still under investigation but police believe it was the result of an argument between
an unknown man and the victim, a Vancouver resident who was staying at his girlfriend's home near Eighth Avenue and 12th Street, according to Sgt. Diana McDaniel.
During the course of the argument, the victim was shot and fled the home.
Some witnesses reported the victim stumbled into the nearby Ole Ole Mexican Deli where staff called paramedics but McDaniel couldn't confirm this.
Twelfth Street is no stranger to criminal activity. Throughout the 1990s, and as recent as eight years ago, prostitutes and drug dealers were major problems for the neighbourhood. Since then, however, residents have worked hard to clean up the neighbourhood and it’s paying off, according to Neil Douglas, 12th Street resident, owner of Neil Douglas Guitar Shop at 829 12th St. and a representative on the city’s crime prevention committee.
“When it came to my report at the crime prevention committee, I really had nothing to report because there hasn’t been much going on around here,” Douglas said.
Despite the decline in crime in the area, there is one building, in the 800 block of 12th Street, that continues to be a problem, according to Douglas.
The building, which is the former location of B.C. Ambulance Service at 833 12th St., is a mixed commercial-residential low-rise. Most of the apartments are occupied but the commercial space below has remained empty since B.C. Ambulance left, and Douglas thinks it’s because of the tenants who live upstairs.
“The main floor is basically empty and the top floors are really transient,” he said. “(The owner) seems to like to rent his apartments to drug dealers because they pay him lots of money for it, a lot more than it’s worth.”
Neighbours have complained about fights and loud music coming from the units in the building, Douglas said.
McDaniel wouldn’t confirm if the building at 833 12th St. is where the shooting victim was staying with his girlfriend when he was shot but did say police officers have responded to a number of calls at that building this year. In an email to The Record, McDaniel wrote, the department has received 18 calls related to the building since Jan. 1 but not all required police attendance.
“It’s been going on for three years now, and the police are doing everything they can with (the owner) but he just doesn’t seem to be able to get good tenants in there,” Douglas said.
At one point, Douglas said the owner approached him for advice on finding suitable tenants for his building but nothing ever came from that discussion.
The only viable solution, according to Douglas, would be to tear down the building and rebuild.
In the case of the Oct. 30 shooting, police have yet to arrest any suspects but do believe it was a targeted event.
A white Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck was seen leaving the scene shortly after the shooting but witnesses didn't get a licence plate number.
Investigators are requesting anyone with information to contact Det. Blount at 604-525-5411 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries and was released from hospital.
