-Kamloops This Week
Police say they have identified suspects involved in a gunshot death over the weekend in Kamloops, the city’s first murder of the year. Part of what Mounties is saying is a steady increase in violence among those on the low end of the drug trade.
Const. Crystal Evelyn said investigators had identified the alleged killer and the victim, a man is 20 years old, knows each other and is and is known to the police.
At 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, officers responded to a shot fired at the Howard Johnson Inn at 530 Columbia Street. The victim was found in one of the motel’s units.
Evelyn said investigators had identified suspects and determined that the murder was related to low-level drug trafficking in Kamloops. Police say the murder has been targeted and that the public has no immediate safety concerns.
Evelyn said the murder scene at the Howard Johnson and two rooms in the Star Lodge at 775 West Columbia St. are part of this investigation and have been searched by investigators.
The police also conduct interviews and neighborhood investigations, and may collect video footage that is available.
“Although the circumstances surrounding this murder are still being investigated, it is the same type of violence we previously witnessed in Kamloops that involves low-end drug traffickers using violence as a business practice,” Kamloops told RCMP Sgt. Nestor Baird notes that the violence involved low-end drug dealers and debt collectors.
“If you are involved in drug trafficking at any level, now is the time to reconsider your decisions and reach out to other people and agencies who can help you move out of this lifestyle.”
Anyone with information on the murder is asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 and reference file number 2021-4173.
The Howard Johnson Inn was the site of a knife stab in December, which police claim was also likely linked to drug trafficking.
On December 2, 2020, the police were called to investigate a report about a man who was stabbed multiple times.
The victim, known to police to be involved in local drug trafficking, was treated at the Royal Inland Hospital for his injuries. The police investigation revealed video surveillance of a suspect who had left the room and Mounties released the footage to identify him.
While the Howard Johnson Inn was stabbed to death and now murdered, it was not one of the 10 hotels and motels the city pestered for crimes, statutes and fire activities last fall.
On October 22, 2020, the city declared 10 motels and hotels disruptive: the Star Lodge, Desert Inn, Knights Inn, Columbia Motor Lodge, Ramada Inn, Hospitality Inn, Panorama Inn, Best Western Plus, and the Grandview Hotel extends across west Columbia Street in Lower Sahali and the Acadian Motor Inn is located in 1390 downtown Columbia St.
READ MORE: Two Die in Highway 1 Crash near Kamloops
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