Homeless man shot with an arrow on Downtown Eastside

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – In a case Vancouver police are calling “shocking” and “callous,” a homeless man who lives on the city’s Downtown Eastside was shot with an arrow fired from a building Thursday night.

The 22-year-old victim was standing in front of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre at Columbia and East Cordova streets when it happened.

“He felt a sharp pain in his leg and realized he’d been shot. With an arrow lodged just below his kneecap, the victim walked a block to Insite, where staff gave first aid and called 9-1-1,” reads a statement from Vancouver police.

Investigators think the arrow was shot from the fire escape of a nearby building. Police say a cache of crossbows, replica assault rifles, scopes, lights, and lasers were found at the building on E. Hastings Street. The person who shot the arrow is believed to have left before police arrived.

“This level of callousness and disregard is shocking,” Sgt. Steve Addison said. “All signs point to this being a random attack, and we’re incredibly concerned because the victim was already one of our community’s
most vulnerable.”

Police have not shared the victim’s current condition.

In late July, another man, who is also homeless, was chased, pushed to the ground, and repeatedly kicked in an unprovoked attack.

Related video: Vancouver police searching for suspects in unprovoked attack on homeless man

“We know that homeless and unsheltered people are already more likely to be victims of crime than those who are housed,” Addison said. “We are doing everything possible to identify the people who did this and hold them accountable.”