KELOWNA — Police have confirmed two people were killed during a Wednesday shooting at Adventure Trucks near Kelowna’s Reid’s Corner area.
In a brief statement, Sgt. Laura Pollock of Kelowna RCMP said the incident was a homicide. “On March 27, 2024 at approximately 2:30 pm the Kelowna RCMP were called to the 100 block of Adams Road after receiving a report of shots fired in which a subsequent fire ensued,” Sgt. Pollock said. “Upon police entry into the business two deceased were located.”
Jacqueline Kofoed, the sister of one of the dead, Jeremy Kofoed, said in a Facebook post Friday night that her brother was shot and killed by “a known acquaintance.” She said the shooter set fire to the building and then killed himself.
While Sgt. Pollock confirmed the two deaths involved a homicide, she did not say a suicide was also involved. But she did say “this is an isolated incident and no public are at risk.”
It’s not clear what led to the violence.
Investigators have cleared the scene of the shooting as of Saturday morning.
Jeremy Kofoed ran Adventure Trucks at the Adams Road location, selling and installing off-road camping gear on vehicles. The company has been in operation since 2019.
The Kofoeds have long-standing roots in Kelowna, with Jeremy’s father Jack opening Kelowna Toyota back in 1970. Four years ago, the family donated $60,000 to the construction of Okanagan College’s Health Sciences Centre. The donation was made in the name of Jeremy’s late mother Leona, who worked as a nurse.
On the weekend, several vehicles were in the Adventure Trucks parking lot, including a white Toyota Tacoma with a camper that has the licence plate “ADV TRK” and a blue Tacoma with a camper that has three flat tires.
Some fire damage was visible on the exterior of the building and broken glass was scattered in the parking lot.
In a post to Facebook Friday night, Jacqueline Kofoed said her brother Jeremy was the victim of a fatal shooting.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the sad news that our dear Jeremy (my brother) was the victim of a fatal shooting that took place at Adventure Trucks on Wednesday, March 27th,” Jacqueline wrote.
“This was the tragic result of an argument between Jeremy and a known acquaintance, that escalated to the point of violence. After Jeremy was shot, it appears the known acquaintance started a fire in the building then took his own life.”
Police have not confirmed those details.
Witnesses have told Castanet they heard what sounded like gunshots and a number of nearby businesses were evacuated. Highway 97 was closed for several hours.
Jeremy Kofoed’s sister said the family has gathered following the tragedy. “We are all together, surrounding Jer’s family with love and support, trying to make sense of the magnitude of this tragedy,” Jacqueline wrote. “Thank you so much for your love and care.”
