A man has been shot and killed near the domestic departure terminal at the Vancouver International Airport on Sunday (May 8) afternoon.
The roads in and out of Richmond were briefly closed just before 4 p.m. Sunday (May 9) as a result of a police incident.
A video on social shows a victim on the ground being attended to by paramedics and shot gun shells on the ground. Another video, posted shortly after 3 p.m., shows people hiding from a suspected shooter.
There’s a video going around of an alleged shooting victim at YVR – I won’t post that, but here’s a screen grab of another social media post saying there was an active shooter on the loose at Vancouver airport. @BlackPressMedia pic.twitter.com/lmRxBfQ31g
— Kat Slepian (@katslepian) May 9, 2021
On social media, YVR said the incident had taken place just outside of YVR’s main terminal, but that the “airport is currently open and safe with restricted access.”
In a statement to Black Press Media, B.C. Emergency Health Services said they received a call at 2:59 p.m. regarding a police incident at the Vancouver airport.
“Bike paramedics at the airport responded and two ground units and a paramedic supervisor were also dispatched. No patients were transported to hospital,” a spokesperson said.
DriveBC said all major routes in and out of Richmond were blocked due to an “ongoing police incident” for a short period of time just before 4 p.m.
New Westminster police said there were “temporary traffic concerns” on the Queensborough Bridge and briefly asked motorists to avoid the area but by 4 p.m. said that traffic was clearing.
In a social media post, Metro Vancouver Transit Police urged the public to avoid the area around Vancouver International Airport. TransLink had briefly stopped service to the YVR station.
“Please avoid Sea Island and YVR today, if at all possible. Everyone is working hard to resolve the police incident & reopen Canada Line quickly,” the detachment tweeted.
As of 4 p.m., routes like the Massey Tunnel were being reopened, but police did not provide details as to what had occurred.
