Friday, February 15, 2008

Man Murdered in Mini-Van Near Pigeon Park

In what police are saying was a targeted hit, a man was shot in a minivan tonight near Pigeon Park at Carrall & Hastings St. A young woman in the van cradled the dying man in her arms screaming that she couldn't believe this was happening.

VPD Constable Jana McGuinness said the victim was known to police.

People at Pigeon Park, where drug users and dealers hang out, reported hearing six shots. A male neighbour who had been sitting in his room listening to the radio told the media that he had heard seven shots. Alberta, a thirty-something aboriginal woman who lives at 334 Carroll St. in a suite just over the site of the shooting, told a DTES Enquirer reporter that she heard seven shots. It appeared to Alberta that the victim had been shot multiple times in the head. It was too late to help him as "he was already dead", she said solemnly. Alberta saw a woman with him, whom she assumed to be his girlfriend.

Alberta said the victim was caucasian. The word is that his name was Steve.

Vancouver Police blocked off Pigeon Park and a nearby alley, as well as the Cambie Hostel pub [known by locals as the Cambie Hotel] a couple of blocks west, with reams of yellow tape and several police cars. They weren't allowing any new customers into the Cambie pub, a blow to revenues on a bustling Friday night. A few clusters of people who were already inside the pub were allowed to remain.

The police were not saying whether there was a connection between the heavy police presence at the Cambie Hotel and Pigeon Park. But witnesses say they saw police cars racing to the Cambie Hotel shortly after the shooting.




A female police constable standing beside yellow crime scene tape at Columbia & Hastings, told photographers to be careful where they stepped as blood was streaming down along the curb. I looked down and sure enough, there was water mixed with blood flowing past my foot toward the sewer grate. The body was apparently lying on the street near the Columbia Street entrance to the old Sunrise Hotel on Hastings St. I couldn't see it from where I was standing behind the yellow tape at around 8:00 p.m. but, according to Alberta, it was not removed by the coroner's black vehicle until 12:30 or 1:00 am.

The windshield of the van was cracked where it had been penetrated by bullets. There were also bullet holes on the side of the van.

The shooting occurred at roughly 6:30 p.m. and at 8:00 p.m. the police crime scene van (see the van with the open rear door in the center of photo at top of page) was processing the crime scene.

7 comments:

Dag said...

Good stuff, mister!

The red hand in the stop signal gets things off to a great start, the bent parking meter across the street livening up the photo of a van askew in the night, the story of sudden death and horror on these mean streets really making it all a fine piece of work. I think people should leave messages here to let you know when they intend their next outrage against the city so you can be there on the spot to cover it. Very nice work, and far ahead of the local mainstream media as of last evening.

Anonymous said...

Is it really appropriate to glamourize the photo's of such a horrific event Dag? Let's keep in mind that this victim is somebody's son, father, brother, friend and yes, My Uncle. And really, saying we should encourage people to leave messages indicating their next attacks? You are a sick man.

Dag said...

I can see you won't be happy to read my comment, even in the spirit in which it is meant: the red hand, a signal to stop.

That people should alert us to their next outrage? I'm not in favor of outraging the city or its residents.

That they should alert us to their outrages so we can photograph them? Yes, let's see just what criminal scum these people are, right up front, people who murder and commit mayhem on the streets we all walk on.

The man killed is a personal grief for those close to him; but for the rest of us he is another citizen like the rest of us, like any one of us, like we could have been, had a bullet missed and hit us instead.

So show it for what it is. And do it well.

reliable sources said...

Yesterday when Justice Mark McEwan sentenced the man who intentionally shot 23 yr. old Lee Matasi, just a few blocks west of where last night's shooting occurred, he noted the grief that the murder had caused the family. But the judge focused on the fact that these shootings go beyond being a private family matter:

"The unlawful taking of a life is always an attack on the community and its values," Justice Mark McEwan said.

Dolly said...

Re: My Brother Steve Seymour

To those of you that showed some compassion to my family ,THANK YOU",to those of you that stole from his apartment 2 days after he was killed ,I hope your happy with those things , you stole from the dead,and his children thats called gravedigging,to those of you that say he deserved it ,well somday you will have to go through what we have had to do ,especially to those people that would not allow my brothers two children to go to Nova Scotia ,to attend his funeral ,you will all have to answer to a higher god .May god forgive you ,because right now we cannot . Just how much more of a piece of my parents heart do you want ?The only thing left of him you denied to his parents and sisters ,in Nova Scotia.To my brother in Vancouver , you have a conscience and somday you will answer to that .My brother's past life was wrong ,he did the crime and he did his time ,he was turning his life around ,all he wanted was his children and a normal life ,he was the first to tell his nieces and nephews ,that they can correct their mistakes ,he was their hero and a person they could talk to .Some of you only know the bad of him ,you don't know that he had a kind caring and warm heart ,his family was everthing to him.I sit here writing this with anger ,and cannot grieve ,because of it ,I miss my talks with him everyday ,his hearty laugh ,our diference of opinions,our trust in one another ,and most of all him telling me to "tell mom I love her ".I miss him so very much .Gone but never forgotten ,I love you Steve .
Your sister Dolly

Anonymous said...

Steve was a really nice guy well liked by lots of people. Just wondering has anyone been arrested and if they have why do they just sweep this under the media carpet! Just because of the area and his past.Not fair!

Anonymous said...

From Steves two children that live with their loving Aunt & who are doing really great they want to say they miss him, love him & will remember him.

Love;
Lauren & Colton