The RCMP are taking "swift and extraordinary measures" to find those responsible for a deadly attack that claimed the life of a man outside an upscale hotel in Kelowna, B.C.
Witnesses have told police that the violence began when a white Porsche SUV was driving away from the Delta Grand Okanagan at about 2:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
That's when a vehicle pulled up behind the SUV and gunmen started shooting.
The SUV drove for a short distance as the gunfire rang out.
A suspect vehicle, described by the RCMP as a "silvery green SUV," sped away from the scene.
CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat reported that at least four people were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the violence. Police say that no bystanders were injured in the brazen attack.
One man who had been riding inside the Porsche SUV died as a result of the shooting. Police have yet to release his name.
Media reports have identified the slain man as Jonathan Bacon, an infamous B.C. resident whom police have publicly alleged is a gangster.
Police say they are still piecing together the precise sequence of the events that took place outside the hotel, which was reportedly witnessed by dozens of people.
Molgat said the shooting has left Kelowna residents on edge.
"With bullets flying around a crowded area, there's nothing about this that has people feeling safe," Molgat told CTV's Canada AM on Monday morning.
Police say they do not believe the general public is at risk as a result of the slaying outside the hotel. But investigators are determined to hunt down the people involved in the deadly attack.
"The public needs to know that swift and extraordinary measures are being taken in order to ensure that those responsible will be found and brought to account before the courts," RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said in a statement released on Sunday night.
Six people, including Bacon, were taken to Kelowna General Hospital around 3 p.m. after at least one masked gunman opened fire on a vehicle in the parking lot of the Delta Grand Hotel, which houses the Lake City Casino.
One of the injured men is Larry Amero, a full-patch Hells Angels member from White Rock. As of Sunday evening, Amero was clinging to life, a senior police officer told The Province.
It appears the Hells Angels and a splinter group of the Red Scorpions gang were meeting in the area. Police do not know who the shooter is yet, but fear retaliation could lead to an all-out gang war.
B.C. Ambulance spokeswoman Kelsie Carwithen confirmed that paramedics responded to a call in the 1300-block Water Street at 3 p.m. Sunday and transported six patients - one in critical condition - to hospital.
The Province has learned that one of the victims is a niece of a senior Hells Angel. She was shot in the leg.
Bacon was to stand trial this fall in B.C. Provincial Court for 15 weapons and drug charges.
He and his brothers, Jamie and Jarrod, have been linked to a number of crimes in the Lower Mainland. Jamie Bacon is currently in prison, awaiting trial for first-degree murder in the Surrey Six shootings of 2007.
Kelowna RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said the victims were leaving the Delta Grand Hotel parking lot at 2: 45 p.m. Sunday in a white Porsche sport utility vehicle when the shooters drove up behind them.
Witnesses said up to two men wearing masks and black clothing exited the vehicle and opened fire on the victims' SUV, which then travelled a short distance before coming to a halt. Police are searching for a Ford Explorer SUV that was spotted racing from the scene.
Kelowna RCMP are asking any witnesses to the shooting to come forward, though Holmes said the public should have confidence that the RCMP will find those responsible.
"Police believe that the general public is not at risk," Holmes said.
"This kind of incident is quite rare in Kelowna, but when it happens it
is shocking and traumatic to those in the community. The public needs to know that swift and extraordinary measures are being taken in order to ensure that those responsible will be found and brought to account before the courts."
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