RCMP Supt. Nick Romanchuk tells reporters police know who killed a man on a B.C. Transit bus in Kelowna Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014.
(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
Republished November 01, 2014 - 4:06 PM
Original Publication Date October 31, 2014 - 3:07 PM
KELOWNA – The Kelowna man arrested Friday night in connection with a killing on a B.C. Transit bus has now been charged with second degree murder.
RCMP aren't releasing the accused's name until his scheduled court appearance Monday, Nov. 3, according to a media release.
In a media conference Friday, Supt. Nick Romanchuk said he was certain about their suspect and just hours later, police made the arrest.
Romanchuk called the Thursday night attack a homicide and revealed they know who the killer is and where to find him.
“Through the course of our investigation we have identified persons of interest as well as a suspect,” he said on Friday. “The suspect remains at large at this time.”
Romanchuk said a timeline for an arrest was not yet clear, adding it would be within days rather than weeks. It turned out to be hours later.
RCMP aren’t disclosing details about the weapon used, but point to a contingency plan in place to mitigate the risk to the public. The city's top cop would not elaborate on what the plan is.
On Thursday night around 6:29 p.m., police received a report of an assault on a B.C. Transit bus on Baron Road. The bus was northbound, coming from Orchard Park mall and stopped at Underhill St.
“As the male suspect left the bus he made a shoving motion towards the victim, who was also a passenger,” Romanchuk said. “The victim was found immediately thereafter suffering from a serious injury.”
Romanchuk confirmed numerous passengers were on the bus at the time, and that several of them attempted to save the victim. The 55-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
He could not confirm if the victim and suspect knew each other, only that the attack appears random and unprovoked.
“We, at this time, believe this to be a random incident,” he said, adding there is no reason to believe public safety is at risk.
The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of his family.
The scene on Baron Road Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014 after a Kelowna man was murdered by a man with a knife on a B.C. Transit bus.
Image Credit: Global Okanagan (with permission)
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
— This story updated at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 to include arrest information.
— This story was updated at 4:02 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 to add the suspect has been charged.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014