Community comes together following deadly shootings in Penticton
Posted April 17, 2019 6:07 am.
Last Updated April 18, 2019 4:58 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PENTICTON (NEWS 1130) — Days after four people were killed in a brazen shooting spree in the small Okanagan town of Penticton, about a hundred people came together Wednesday night to grieve.
Brandon Sanchioni with the Penticton Chamber of Commerce says it was an emotional night, as a candle-light vigil was held at a local park.
“We had a moment of silence for the families and friends and supporters, family members in attendance,” he says. “It’s nice to see the community come together tonight.”
RELATED: Four murder charges laid in Penticton shootings
Much of the community is still in shock, but they are getting back to a sense of normalcy, he says.
Vigil organizer Matthew Baran says the tight-knit community has been shaken in recent days.
He says an event like this is something everybody feels, and things like this just don’t happen in the quaint town.
“We’re a really tight-knit community, and when people (and families) move here … and people retire here, they’re welcomed into the community that is existing,” he says.
A 68 year old man turned himself into police shortly after shootings happened on Monday. He’s been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder.
The Mayor and local MLA also spoke at the event.
Kim Kirkham, also with the Chamber, said earlier in the day Wednesday that the shooting has been weighing heavy on the whole community.
“It was such a tragedy and it affected so many people,” she says. “People in Penticton were asked to stay indoors and there were areas that were on lock down, so yeah, it affected everybody. The whole community.”
The Chamber, with the help of other groups, planned a candle-light vigil for at Penticton’s popular Gyro Park.
“We have beautiful lakes, beautiful mountains, and most people come here to vacation and have a good time,” Kirkham adds. “So yes, it totally rocked our community.”
Penticton’s Concordia Lutheran Church opened it’s doors to the public Tuesday evening to offer support.
Mounties confirmed on Tuesday that 68-year-old John Brittain has been charged with three counts of first degree murder, and one count of second degree murder.
Four people were found dead at three locations on Monday morning. People were warned to avoid the downtown core after officers received reports of a possible shooting around 10:30 a.m.
The suspect turned himself in to the RCMP detachment at around 11:30 a.m.
In a statement on the City of Penticton’s website, Mayor John Vassilaki calls the incident “devastating and catastrophic,” adding it has “shaken everyone who calls Penticton home or who regularly visits our beautiful community.”
-With files from Sonia Aslam and Denise Wong
