RCMP cruiser parked as part of an investigation/via Brett Mineer
Not a lot of details at this point, but Kamloops Mounties say they’re on the hunt for a pair of suspects following a suspected robbery on the west side of downtown Kamloops on Tuesday.
This incident drawing a large and visible RCMP presence to the Victoria Street West area through part of Tuesday.
RCMP say it all unfolded in the early afternoon on Tuesday, with multiple reports of gun shots being called in by people on opposite sides of the Thompson River.
“On Tuesday July 21, 2026, at approximately 1:05 p.m., multiple police from both detachments responded to two individual reports of shots being fired along the North Thompson River on the south shore near Victoria Street West,” stated the RCMP in a release.
“As part of the coordinated response to support frontline police, our Forensic Identification Section deployed a drone to assist with the search,” said Corporal Dana Napier, Kamloops RCMP Detachment spokesperson. “During the early stages of the file, investigators have learned that a robbery took place and two people of interest have been identified.”
Not clear at this point whether this was a robbery involving a place of business, someone’s home or of an individual.
No indication from the Mounties as to whether anyone may have been hurt in the shooting.
RCMP have also not provided any information as to who the suspects involved might be.
Those who might have any information on suspects at this time are being asked to reach out the Kamloops or Tk’emlups RCMP detachments.
Shooting and robbery follows two-day mini-crackdown in early July
The seemingly violent incident comes despite the Mounties conducting a wide-scale ‘scoop’ of those suspected of being involved in the drug trade, or who may have ties to organized crime.
Armed with some newly-acquired techniques picked up as part of a recently-funded training program, Kamloops Mounties moved earlier this month to track down folks with known ties to the drug trade, or who may have been prime targets for arrest and questioning due to outstanding warrants.
The wide-scale sweep started on July 3rd and ran into July 4th — the first Friday and Saturday of the month.
“The Kamloops Proactive Enforcement Team (KPET) focused [its] operation on hotspots along with those known to police throughout the city of Kamloops which resulted in multiple arrests, significant drugs seizures, the recovery of firearms and the removal of numerous weapons from the community,” stated the RCMP in a release on Tuesday.
Photo of drugs and illegal weapons seized as part of two-day crackdown by Kamloops Mounties on known-offenders in early July, 2026/via Kamloops RCMP
Mounties say this sweep led to the arrest of 16 people, as well as the confiscation of 16 different weapons, including a pair of guns and a replica.
The two-day sweep also netted the RCMP more than a kilogram of street-level drugs
One of the weapons seized was a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, which RCMP say they recovered as part of the broader, “proactive investigation.”
The RCMP also confiscated additional prohibited and dangerous weapons such as bear spray, brass knuckles, batons, knives and an axe.
“This operation demonstrates the value of intelligence led policing and proactive enforcement in disrupting criminal activity an improving public safety,” said Superintendent Pelley, Officer in Charge of the Kamloops RCMP Detachment.
“The significant quantity of drugs, firearms and weapons removed from our community highlights the effectiveness of KPET officers with targeting those involved in organized criminal activity.”
There is no indication at this point whether the shooting call on Tuesday afternoon has any connection with the ‘scoop’ conducted by the Mounties.
RCMP in Kamloops were emboldened by some new training techniques recently picked up through the BCRCMP Headquarters .
“From funding applied for and received by the Kamloops RCMP Detachment through British Columbia’s Special Investigations and Targeted Enforcement Program (SITE), the Kamloops RCMP was able to train ten officers that are comprised of the Kamloops RCMP Detachment Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) and frontline General Duty police who have participated in specialized training,” said Kamloops RCMP in a statement.
“The program objectives of SITE aligned with the needs identified by the Kamloops RCMP Detachment,” stated Kamloops RCMP in the release put out on Wednesday.
“SITE will supplement police investigative techniques/resources and targeted enforcement while enhancing other operational priorities,” added the RCMP.
