COQUITLAM, B.C. — Good Samaritans rushed to help a man hit by gunfire outside a shopping mall in Coquitlam, B.C., helping the victim out of his vehicle so he could sit on a curb, says a witness.
The shooting that put the unidentified man in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries took place Friday at about 2:45 p.m. in a parking lot at Coquitlam Centre, says RCMP Staff Sgt. Hector Lee.
He says no bystanders were hurt, the mall remains open and police are looking for the shooter or shooters.
The gunfire erupted just metres away from a fundraiser being run by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Shelley Lycan, the foundation’s special events co-ordinator, says she heard about six popping noises.
"I was standing talking to my boss at the time and I said, 'that’s gunshots,'" she says.
She couldn't see any cars racing away but watched a big, black SUV stop.
"The girlfriend jumped out of the truck and was obviously panicking, freaking out," recalls Lycan. "She said, 'does anyone have a Band-Aid?' "
Lycan says the bullet holes were low on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was shot up "pretty good," but the victim appeared to be shot in the arm.
Lycan says a group of people helped the victim out of the SUV and sat him down on the curb.
"We started asking him questions. 'Did you see who it was? Do you know what the colour of the car was? The licence plate number? Did you see anything?' "
She says the victim told her it was a grey BMW.
Picture: CTV/Chopper 9
