Neighbours evacuated after man fires gun inside Railtown apartment
Police descended on Vancouver’s Railtown neighbourhood Sunday night after a man allegedly began firing a gun inside his apartment building.
The man in his 50s allegedly began firing just after 7 pm, and the person he was with fled and called 911. The caller reported the shooter had been “acting strangely for several days,” Vancouver police said in a news release.
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Officers surrounded the building and evacuated neighbours to begin communicating with the suspect. Ask for Luigi, a popular Italian restaurant across the street, confirmed to Daily Hive that officers advised it to close.
Vancouver police said the situation was “volatile” and more than three dozen officers came to the building at 289 Alexander Street.
About 90 minutes after the first shot was fired, police say the man exited the apartment armed with a knife and a loaded gun. Vancouver Police Department Emergency Response Team officers took the man into custody, deploying “less lethal” ARWEN rounds during the arrest.
The man was not seriously injured, police say, and now faces charges over the incident. VPD is recommending three charges: careless use of a firearm, careless storage of a firearm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Crown counsel still needs to review evidence and determine which charges are the most appropriate.