BC Attorney General Niki Sharma says she is aware of the RCMP’s application to destroy an estimated 14-thousand exhibits collected during the Robert Pickton investigation. Mounties have gone to court to ask for permission to destroy the evidence, but family members and advocates are pleading with the governments and RCMP that it may be their last chance to find out what happened to their loved ones. Sharma says it’s important the court supervise the process to make sure it’s “conducted with sensitivity and involving appropriate engagement with the families of victims.” Pickton was convicted in 2007 of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women whose remains were found on his pig farm, but charges related to 20 other women were stayed.
A 30-year-old Edmonton man who was wanted on numerous warrants is in custody after Mounties in Kelowna found him hiding in an attic last week. RCMP in Kelowna say they were sent to a residence last Wednesday after receiving reports that people were living in the home illegally. Police say two people were removed from the residence and eventually found a third person hiding under insulation in the attic. The person, who had warrants out of Alberta and BC, is in custody and will be taken to Edmonton for court.
A man has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot at a home in northern BC over the weekend. Mounties in Prince George say they were alerted to a shooting on Saturday and they found a man suffering from a serious gunshot wound upon arrival. Police say they later identified the suspect as 31-year-old Prince George resident Michael Dillon Solmundson. He has been charged with discharging a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, and use of a firearm during the commission of an offence.
Mounties in Keremeos say they are investigating after a Summerland man was killed in a two-vehicle collision on Highway 97 Friday evening. BC Highway Patrol says the collision involved an orange Honda Fit and a black Hyundai Santa Fe, leading to the death of a 37-year-old driver. Police say they are looking into the crash and they have no further details. Keremeos RCMP are asking anyone with information or dashcam video of the area to contact them.
A vehicle rollover on the Stanley Park causeway yesterday afternoon sent two people to hospital, including one with critical injuries. Mike Purchas, assistant chief with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, says two people were removed from the vehicle, with one in stable condition and the other in serious condition. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services says Lions Gate Bridge was shut down for several hours following the rollover crash. Purchas says Vancouver police are investigating.
A new SkyTrain car has just been loaded onto flatbed trucks and is on its way from Ontario to Vancouver. TransLink says if you happen to spot a Mark-5 SkyTrain on Highway 1, give it a little wave. The Mark-5 features five-car sets, longer than current trains, and can carry up to 25 per cent more people. TransLink says the Mark-Five train will go through “rigorous testing” upon arrival in Burnaby and the 40 remaining Mark-Fives will gradually join the fleet and enter service by 2028.