Family members have named Ryan Langlois as one of two men killed at a Campbell River marina early Monday during a hostage-taking incident.
RCMP, crisis negotiators and the Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team were called to the hostage-taking at Discovery Harbour Authority, where one person was already dead.
During attempts to negotiate with the murder suspect, who was reported to have a weapon, police fired their weapons and the suspect died at the scene.
Police have not confirmed if Langlois died before or after police arrived.
His sister, Cindy Patrick, confirmed his death on Facebook.
“My life will never be the same without you in it,” Patrick said. “You were my voice when I wasn’t able to speak, you were my protector. You were my real life hero. And [were] taken way too soon. Now I have to learn to walk this world without you.”
Langlois, father to a teenage son and nine-year-old daughter, lived on a boat that he used to operate a dive fishery business, harvesting sea urchins, sea cucumbers and geoducks.
Darren Deschene said Langlois was a lifelong friend who he considered family.
“He was living his dream on his terms,” Deschene said. “Ryan loved life more than the average person. He loved his son and his daughter, his friends. He was very kind, giving. Ryan was just a good person all around to everybody all around him.”
James Ovington said he was friends for 17 years with Langlois, who he saw as an older brother.
“He taught me a lot in life. He really did. He was the nicest guy you could possibly meet,” Ovington said. “He was the funniest guy you could possibly know.”
The two met when Ovington was 16 and trying to catch crabs in Nanaimo. Langlois took him under his wing, Ovington said, teaching him about crabbing and building a close friendship they maintained for nearly two decades.
“He’s the type of guy who would bring anybody in and want to be their friend,” Ovington said. “He’d make you feel welcome. He was the life of the party.
“It’s hard to think about what just happened. Why would somebody do that to my buddy? It’s killing me.”
The Campbell River Major Crimes Unit is investigating the homicide and asking anyone with information to come forward, while the Independent Investigations Office, the civilian oversight agency that investigates officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, will exam police actions.
The Independent Investigations Office will determine whether anyone other than police fired shots, an IIO spokesperson told CHEK News.
