A woman was shot dead in a car in southeast Vancouver Wednesday afternoon while a child sat in the back seat, police said.
Const. Lindsey Houghton told CTV British Columbia that police received a call shortly after 3 p.m. local time that shots had been fired in the 6400 block of Bruce Street.
When police arrived in the heavily residential area, they found a grey SUV with a woman dead inside and a young child in the back seat. The child was not harmed.
"Fortunately that toddler is unharmed and has now been taken into our care and we're collaborating with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to make sure that child is in a safe place," Houghton told The Canadian Press.
Investigators have not made any arrests, nor have they named any suspects in the case. Houghton said police do not believe the incident is gang-related.
The shooting comes less than 24 hours after a man was wounded at a downtown Tim Hortons. In that incident, a man in his 30s was shot several times Tuesday evening. The suspect in that case fled before police arrived.
The shooter fled the scene in what police describe as either a light brown or gold-coloured SUV. The suspect is described as six feet tall with a medium build. He was wearing dark clothing, a baseball cap and had a scarf covering his face at the time of the incident.
Houghton said police do not believe the two shootings are linked.
Wednesday's shooting was Vancouver's 14th homicide of 2011.
