
Kamloops RCMP say they’re investigating after a man was shot and killed at a Valleyview motel early Friday morning, May 31.
Mounties say they arrived around 12:08 a.m. and found a man dead in one of the rooms of a motel on the 2500-block of the East Trans-Canada Highway.
“Although very early in the investigation, preliminary observations suggest the shooting was not random,” Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley said. “At this time, it’s too early to speculate on a motive or if it’s related to any other investigations currently occurring.”
There have been at least five shootings in Kamloops this month, the most recent of which was at the Ramada Hotel on May 6, which left one man with non-life threatening injuries.
Earlier this month, Kamloops RCMP also took the unusual step of publicly identifying the two men at the centre of the ongoing dispute, 40-year-old Cameron Cole and year-old Justin Hunt, who Pelley said were rivals in the local drug trade.
While police did not name the Valleyview motel, witnesses say the shooting took place at the Trans Canada Motel, located between the Volkswagen and Kamloops Ram dealerships.
Something going on at the Trans Canada motel near marion schilling. Heard gsw. suspect unresponsive. Tired of all these shootings… cops everywhere from Highland to Tanager #Kamloops
— Melissa (@mmartin681) May 31, 2024
Police expect to be at the Valleyview motel in some capacity though the weekend as they secure the scene, canvass the neighbourhood, and collect evidence that “could be connected.”
“The Police Dog Service Unit, Serious Crimes Unit, General Investigations Support Team, Forensic Identification Services, and frontline police officers are all engaged in furthering the investigation,” a statement from the Kamloops RCMP said, noting the BC Coroners Service is also investigating.
“Anyone who witnessed or has information that could be related, including dash camera footage or security cameras that may have captured activity before, during, after the call to police, or in the hours following the incident, is asked to please connect with investigators as soon as possible,” Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Todd Wiebe, added.
Those with information are being told to call 250-828-3000 and reference file 2024-16432.