Vancouver police kept busy overnight overnight

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Vancouver police kept busy overnight; two deaths and one hit-and-run



A tragic series of emergencies across Vancouver overnight has left two people dead and one person sent to hospital with a serious head wound.

At around 11 p.m. Friday, Vancouver Police Department homicide investigators attended a 911 call to an apartment in the 600-block of Vernon Drive in East Vancouver.

Police found one man dead in the apartment, and also discovered a woman with minor injuries, who was arrested at the scene.

“At this early stage, investigators are just starting to gather information and determine what ... involvement the woman had,” the VPD said in a Saturday morning news release.

“She’s considered a suspect,” said VPD spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton, adding that she was taken back into police custody after her release from hospital.

He said an autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause of the man’s death.

The homicide is Vancouver’s seventh so far in 2011, according to the VPD.

About an hour later, a vehicle struck a 61-year-old Surrey man in the 200-block of East Cordova Street.

The man was taken to hospital but died shortly after.

Houghton said the unidentified man was hit by a television production vehicle.

It was later confirmed by Castlewood Productions that the mock taxi was from their television show Cash Cab.

“The production wasn’t going on at the time,” Houghton said.

Production had ended for the night and the driver was taking the vehicle back to be stored, Houghton said.

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Vancouver Police attended a complex at Frances and Vernon Street, July 16th, were one person was found dead and another sent to hospital.

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The driver of the taxi prop remained at the scene of the accident and the investigation is ongoing, he said.

The victim was not associated with the production, he said, adding that “there were no witnesses.”

The Surrey man’s death marks the 13th traffic-related fatality in Vancouver this year.

Nine of the victims have been pedestrians.

At around the same time as the downtown accident, a dark coloured SUV struck a 34-year-old Vancouver woman at the intersection of E 60th Avenue and Main Street.

The driver fled, leaving the woman helpless and injured on the street, the police said in a release.

“The driver made a decision to leave the scene at the time but now the right thing to do is contact police,” said Houghton.

Police believe the SUV was a 2003-2007 Nissan Murano with front-end damage including a broken headlight.

The woman was taken to hospital with a head injury, but was later released when it turned out her injuries were less severe than first thought, the officer said.

“She’s lucky,” Houghton said.

A witness at the scene provided information to investigators, who were also able to collect evidence.

“It was a busy night in the City of Vancouver for our members,” Houghton said.

Anyone with information related to the traffic collisions are asked to contact the VPD Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012, and those who have information regarding the homicide are asked to call the VPD Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500.