Burnaby has recorded its first homicide of 2016, after the body of man was found by police on the Byrne Creek Trail.
Burnaby Mounties were called out to an area around the 7300 block of Sandborne Avenue Sunday night around 8 p.m. when a resident heard shots ringing out.
After searching the area through the evening, police discovered the body of a man along the trail.
The man has not been identified, and Burnaby RCMP are saying little about the homicide.
RCMP Sgt. Derek Thibodeau said the police don’t believe the case is connected to any ongoing Burnaby investigations, noting the file has been passed on to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
He also couldn’t say if the shooting was targeted, or where along the trail the body was found.
“There is not a concern for public safety, the matter is being investigated,” Thibodeau told the media, noting police will be looking to speak to witnesses in the area.
Not far from the trail are a handful of highrise buildings.
By 3 p.m. Monday, a section of the area along Sandborne and Station Hill Drive was blocked off by police tape.
Meanwhile, residents had gathered near the scene to get information.
A young woman who lives nearby, but did not want to be identified, said she heard two shots around 8 p.m. but thought it was firecrackers. It was about an hour later that she noticed five police cars.
She said she’s lived in the neighbourhood for years and has never seen a murder in the area.
It was a similar sentiment from other residents, some of whom thought the police tape was part of movie filming.
The area is expected to be behind police tape well into Monday evening.
