A 28-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday at the Vancouver International Airport in what Canadian authorities said was a gang-related act. Police were later fired on while pursuing the suspects.
Vancouver International Airport said earlier in a post on Twitter that it was working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and responding to reports of a police incident outside the airport’s main terminal. It later said on Twitter the situation had been contained.
“A man was shot and killed this afternoon near the domestic departure terminal,” the police Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said on Twitter.
It did not provide more details but CBC News reported that police were looking for one or more suspects in connection with the shooting.
Furthermore, several key routes in and out of Richmond where temporarily closed. According to Royal Canadian Mount Police (RCMP) spokesperson Dawn Roberts, reported of gunfire at the airport came in between after 3 p.m., local time. No police officers were hurt in the incident.
“We do not have anybody in custody. We have not had additional reports of additional shootings underway, which is what I would classify as an active situation,” Roberts said.
Vancouver airport also released a statement after the incident, noting that the situation has been contained and expressing condolences over the fatality.
“The airport is open and safe for airport workers and those who need to travel”, the statement said. “We recommend all passengers check with their airline on their flight status if travelling today. The safety and security of our employees, community and passengers remains our priority, and we are fully cooperating with RCMP to support the investigation.”
Currently, the situation in has been contained and flights are operating normally. The incident did not see any police officers hurt.
