FILE PHOTO

(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

The shooting death of a 34-year-old Kelowna man is now being deemed a homicide and the RCMP's serious crime unit is taking over the investigation. 

Cory Allan Patterson was found dead in a vehicle outside Kelowna General Hospital shortly after noon Aug. 30. He had been with another man, also 34, who had gone into the hospital in the aftermath of an earlier altercation with an unknown assailant to get treatment for a gunshot wound. His wounds were deemed non-life-threatening.

Kelowna RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said in a press release the initial investigation determined the incident had happened while the two men were driving in the McCulloch Road area of Kelowna. It is believed the shooter then fled the area in a light-coloured passenger vehicle.

Officers scoured the McCulloch Road area extensively and did locate evidence to support that the incident happened in that area. 

“This incident happened on our streets during the middle of the day,” Noseworthy said in the release. “Such a reckless and violent incident put everyone in the area at great risk. We are doing everything in our power to identify the person or persons and we are appealing to witnesses to come forward and speak with us.”

No further information is being released at this time, but Kelowna RCMP are urging anyone who witnessed or has knowledge of this crime to come forward to speak with police immediately.

This was the second shooting in a week in Kelowna.

The first shooting happened around 11 a.m. on Aug. 26, at the Ramada by Wyndham hotel. An initial investigation determined a single shooter with a handgun targeted two men in a parking lot of the hotel in the 2100 block of Harvey Avenue. He then fled in a black car.

Yesterday, Aug. 31, Cpl. Noseworthy said the incidents were not related.

Anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net.

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