ON July 31, just before 7 p.m., Kyle Gianis and a 25-year-old Surrey man were shot in the area of Pandosy Street and KLO Road in Kelowna.
Both victims were transported to hospital. Gianis has since been treated and released. The second victim remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The area was cordoned off for investigation, and during that time an unexploded improvised explosive device was located. The RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit attended the following day and safely detonated the device at a secondary location.
“We can now confirm that this was a viable explosive. Based on our examination, this device had the potential to cause significant damage to property and seriously injure members of the public that evening,” said Kelowna RCMP Inspector Beth McAndie. “This device marks a dramatic escalation in violence and puts innocent members of our community in real danger. This is unacceptable to us, and we are doing everything in our power to identify the parties involved in this incident.”
The initial investigation has resulted in the identification of video of a suspect allegedly fleeing the scene after the shooting occurred.
The suspect in the video is wearing light coloured pants, and a light coloured sweatshirt with the hood pulled up.
“We are releasing the video at the earliest opportunity in the hopes that someone from the community recognizes the clothing or distinctive gait of this person,” said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy. “If you believe you know who this suspect is, we ask you to do the right thing and identify them to us.”