An award-winning B.C. crime reporter says it’s unclear what the motive may have been for two killings in Kamloops last week.

Vancouver Sun journalist Kim Bolan also points out 31-year-old victim Cody Mathieu had a minor criminal past and 41-year-old victim Rex Gill had no history whatsoever.

She says Mathieu’s low-level crime history is a common signal of addiction issues, and says Gill’s situation is a bit of an enigma.

“Anyone unfortunately can get caught up in this rampant drug and gang violence that we’re seeing across the province.”

Bolan says it’s up in the air what gangs may have been involved.

“The United Nations gang, the Red Scorpions, the Independent Soliders have been quite big in that region. There are also a number of small outlaw motorcycle gangs that are linked to the Hells Angels. Or it also could be some independents who these guys thought they were kind of safe getting involved in.”

“We just don’t know at this stage, but I’m sure police have a lot of intelligence. It is a shocking one, they’re going to have a lot of resources on it and hopefully they’ll get some kind of break in the case.”

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says police still have no suspects after killings at a Super 8 and Comfort Inn that happened an-hour-and-a-half apart on Wednesday. More than 50 investigators are now working “around the clock” on the two cases, police say.

Bolan adds justice can take a long time in these cases, and pointed out the public gang-killing of Jonathan Bacon in Kelowna took seven year to convict his killers.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of people who have access to firearms and are willing to use them. That’s why we’re seeing this kind of violence in places like Kamloops and Kelowna. Certainly across the Lower Mainland, in Prince George, like really no community is immuned. It’s shocking, and yet it’s not shocking.”