RCMP detectives will investigate connections between drug-trafficking gangs on Vancouver Island in the wake of a brazen drive-by shooting in Sooke last week.
A five-day manhunt for two armed and dangerous suspects came to a close Sunday night with the arrest of Joshua Lafleur, 25, and Damien Medwedrich, 21, at a house on Kirby Road in Sooke.
“It’s like catching the big pass in the end zone,” Sooke RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur said Monday. “This is what we’re here for. And I want to commend my people for operating with no sleep, no days off, for a week. Now the real work starts for us.”
At a telebail hearing Monday evening, Lafleur and Medwedrich were charged with two counts of attempted murder using a firearm. They agreed to remain in custody and are to appear in person before a judge in Western Communities provincial court Thursday morning.
Officers had received a tip Sunday afternoon that two suspects from the June 14 shooting on Ella Road, which sent two men to hospital, were hiding at a house on Kirby Road. Initial response was left to the Sooke Mounties, not the full RCMP emergency response team, as the tip was just one of several police received each day, McArthur said.
“We can’t call in all the resources every single time,” he said. “We had to go in and investigate and expose ourselves to potentially armed people, which our officers did yesterday and they did a fantastic job. They entered the house, cleared it out, moved three people out safely and turned it over to the Emergency Response Team.”
Lafleur and Medwedrich were in a crawl space in the basement, police said. A negotiator tried to talk them into surrendering for about six hours, but the suspects refused to communicate.
Eventually, at about 10:30 p.m., members of the ERT moved in with a police dog and arrested the two men. One sustained minor injuries during the arrest and was taken to hospital. McArthur would not say if the injuries were caused by the police dog.
The suspects were unarmed when they were arrested, police said.
“This was a major event, especially for the small community of Sooke,” McArthur said. “I know that a lot of residents are breathing a sigh of relief that this part of the investigation is over.”
The drive-by shooting is now being investigated by the RCMP general investigation section and Sooke RCMP.
That will include looking into any connection to drug-trafficking gangs on Vancouver Island, McArthur said.
One man, who was shot in the arm, was released almost immediately from hospital. Another man was shot in the chest and received significant injuries. He remains in hospital but is expected to recover.
Dustin David Brown was arrested the day after the shooting and was charged with two counts of attempted murder using a firearm.
Police continued to search for Lafleur and Medwedrich. On Friday morning, when West Shore RCMP went to a home on Lost Lake Road in the Highlands, two men ran from the back of the property. People living nearby were told to stay in their homes and lock their doors.
The search moved to Thetis Lake, where heavily armed police officers sealed off the beach area with yellow tape. Police officers asked hikers, picnickers and sunbathers to leave the popular park. Officers dressed in camouflage clothing searched the trails on foot with the help of dogs for most of the day, while an RCMP helicopter circled overhead.
During the search, police found two handguns, one of which was loaded. The weapons will undergo a forensic examination to determine if they were used in the shooting, McArthur said.
Police believe the suspects were at Thetis Lake Friday afternoon, but don’t know how they made their way to Sooke.
“We believe they had access to a vehicle,” McArthur said. “Whether they were driving it or had someone pick them up and drive them, we’re not sure.”
The suspects did not break into the house on Kirby Road — they knew a young person living there whose parents were away at the time, police said. McArthur said he does not expect charges will be laid against the resident.
McArthur thanked Sooke and West Shore residents for their help, saying tips police received eventually led to the arrests.
Brown is expected to have a bail hearing in Western Communities provincial court this morning. The names of the shooting victims are protected by a court order.
