Police in Nanaimo say Thursday’s fatal shooting of a man in a parked car is linked to the ongoing Metro Vancouver gang conflict.

Nanaimo RCMP say the “brazen daytime shooting” at about 3:30 p.m. near a Wendy’s restaurant on Highway 19A at Rock City Road led to the arrest of three suspects with ties to the Lower Mainland, and there is no continued risk to the public.


“We believe this event has a nexus to the ongoing gang conflict and violence currently plaguing a number of Lower Mainland communities,” said RCMP Acting Insp. Donovan Tait.

Tait said several alert citizens called police soon after the shooting and that helped with the quick arrests.

Tait said investigators are now asking for the public to contact them if they spotted a vehicle — a 2003 pearl-white Cadillac Escalade SUV — that was seen in the area in the days leading up to the murder.

Police also want to talk to witnesses who were walking or driving through Rock City Plaza around the time of the Thursday shooting, including a white woman seen walking toward Jumping Jiminy’s Playground & Cafe.

The three suspects have been released while the investigation continues