Manhunt in Sooke after two men shot in drive-by

SOOKE — Police have named a suspect in a drive-by shooting that injured two people Tuesday.

Police found two men on the side of Ella Road, both suffering from gunshot wounds, Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur said. The men, both in their 20s and residents of Sooke, were transported to Victoria General Hospital.

“One victim has left the hospital, the other remains there in stable condition,” McArthur said.

Police said Joshua Nickolas Lafleur, 25, who is known to live in both the Sooke and Langford areas, is suspected of being one of the men in the vehicle, and “is considered to be armed and dangerous,” MacArthur said.

A 911 call came in about 9:20 p.m., sparking a largescale hunt for a suspect vehicle. Witnesses reported seeing three people fleeing the scene on the dead-end street in a grey four-door 2003 Kia Magentis, police said.

The vehicle carries Saskatchewan licence plate 404JZB and was reported stolen in Langford.

Bob White, a 20-year resident of the quiet street, heard “six or seven pops” while watching television last night.

“I said to my wife, ‘Was that gunshots or fireworks?’ ” White said.

He looked out the window only to see a “grey flash of vehicle” race toward Sooke Road driving about three times the 30 km/h speed limit.

White said a new parking lot at the end of Ella for visitors to the beach may be attracting criminal activity.

“It is for people to go to the beach but a lot of people just hang out there. I’m sure the whole thing is drug related.”

Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said she’s awaiting an update from police on the manhunt.

Sooke school district superintendent Jim Cambridge said the shooting happened about half a block from John Muir Elementary School, leading to some anxious parents.