Two Chilliwack men survived injuries in a gang-related shooting attack late Wednesday night in the Mary Street area near the Chilliwack General Hospital, an RCMP spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
"Both men are very well-known to police and are known for their connection to the Metro Vancouver gang environment," RCMP Const. Tracy Wolbeck said in a news release.
She said the 11:30 p.m. shooting incident was "directly related to the drug trade," but is not linked to "any one particular gang."
Police were called at about 11:30 p.m. by reports of shots fired in three locations near downtown Chilliwack, and the sudden arrival of a vehicle with shattered windows at the Chilliwack General Hospital.
Chilliwack RCMP arrived on the scene and found one of the males had made his way to the hospital, and the other had fled the area before pol
ice arrived. He was eventually located by a police dog team. A third female passenger in the the car was not injured.
A Mary Street resident told The Progress Wednesday night that he heard three shots and then a man banging on his neighbour's door, holding his head and saying, "I've been shot."
The resident said the man was bleeding from a head wound, and asked him to call 911.
But before he had a chance to make the call, a pickup truck came driving down Mary Street "faster than the speed limit" and the injured man bolted into the back yard heading toward School Street.
Wolbeck said an RCMP Emergency Response Team put the hospital emergency ward in lock-down and took over security of the unit to ensure the safety of the staff, as well as patients.
"Anyone involved either directly or indirectly with the drug trade is at an enormous risk of violence, as we saw here last night," she said.
Both male victims, 36 and 39 years old, are expected to recover. Neither is cooperating with police.
There are no suspects in custody, but the investigation continues with the Integrated Gang Task Force and the Combined Special Forces Enforcement Unit.