Kelowna police release photo of bombing suspect
A homemade bomb used in a botched bid to kill a West Kelowna man would have caused significant damage if it had exploded as planned, police say.
The device was found as Kelowna RCMP combed the busy South Pandosy neighbourhood where Kyle Gianis survived yet another attempt on his life.
“We can now confirm that this was a viable explosive,” Kelowna RCMP Insp. Beth McAndie said in a Tuesday release.
“Based on our examination, this device had the potential to cause significant damage to property and seriously injure members of the public that evening,” she said.
“This device marks a dramatic escalation in violence and put innocent members of our community in real danger,” she said. “This is unacceptable to us, and we are doing everything in our power to identify the parties involved in this incident.”
Police have released photos of a suspect in the attempt to kill Gianis about 7 p.m. on Saturday. The images show a man in a white hood, wearing white pants, and a mask.
He keeps his head bowed, but he has an unusual manner of walking.
“We are releasing this video at the earliest opportunity in the hopes that someone from the community recognizes the clothing or distinctive gait of this person,” RCMP media relations Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said in the release.
The suspect drove off in a light coloured SUV. Police are appealing for anyone else with dash cam footage taken in the area around the corner of Pandosy Street and KLO Road between 6:20 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. last Saturday to contact them.
Gianis was shot after he left a restaurant near the corner of Pandosy Street and KLO Road. A 25year-old Surrey man he was with, who was not identified by police, was also shot.
Gianis was treated and released from hospital but the other man remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Gianis, a long-time gangster who has said he has given up his life of crime, has been the target of four attempts on his life. As well as the Saturday night event, he was shot outside a Kelowna gym in March.