Vancouver police make third arrest in recent Downtown Eastside shootings
Vancouver police have arrested another suspect in connection with a spree of shootings in the Downtown Eastside earlier this week.
In a release, police say Joseph Bassett, a 29-year-old with no fixed address, was arrested without incident in Vancouver on Thursday has now been charged with two counts of attempted murder and multiple weapons offences.
Around 6 pm on September 22, police responded to a report of shots fired near East Pender and Abbott streets.
A 28-year-old man from Langley and a 25-year-old man from Surrey were injured.
This incident was one of three shootings that took place in the Downtown Eastside over the course of a 15-hour period this week, resulting in a total of four people being hospitalized with injuries.
On Tuesday, police arrested 26-year-old Thomas Joseph Brown and 31-year-old Desirae Lorell Cardinal in connection to a shooting that took place at the Grand Union Hotel at 74 West Hastings Street on Monday morning.
Police say a third shooting, which occurred near East Hastings Street and Dunlevy Avenue on September 22, is still under investigation.
“Dozens of VPD investigators have worked relentlessly to gather evidence and solve these crimes. We are working to restore a sense of safety in the community,” says Cst. Steve Addison, in a release. “We will continue to work day and night to combat violent crime and protect vulnerable residents in the area.”
Addison says that each of the shootings “appears to be targeted and gang related.”
“We are still investigating any and all connections between the three incidents, and we need anyone with information to do the right thing and come forward.”
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the VPD Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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