Ian Jacques/Editor
Ten charges were laid Wednesday afternoon against a female allegedly responsible for shooting a manager at Good Samaritan Christenson Village in Gibsons on Tuesday.
Linda Lorraine Howe, 40, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, one count of robbery, three counts of pointing a firearm, one count of possession of a prohibited weapon, one count of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace and one count of possession of a weapon without a licence.
The drama unfolded just after 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when Sunshine Coast RCMP responded to a shots-fired complaint. Police were told that a 47-year-old male employee had been shot twice by a 40-year-old female resident.
"Three RCMP officers responded and located the 40-year-old female suspect outside the facility, resulting in one of the officers shooting her," said Assistant RCMP Commissioner Peter German during a media briefing Wednesday afternoon at Gibsons municipal hall. "The incident began when four care home employees attended the suspect's suite in an effort to move her to another facility. Immediately after opening the door, one of the male employees was shot by the suspect who was in possession of a long barrel firearm."
German said all four employees fled the suite with the suspect following.
"As two of the employees fled outside through an adjacent exit door, the suspect followed and shot once in their direction, narrowly missing them," said German. "The suspect then navigated her way through the care facility, pushing a wheelchair containing the firearm and personal effects. She exited the front door and entered the parking lot while pushing her wheelchair and still in possession of the firearm."
German said the woman approached a vehicle occupied by an adult male and forced him from the car at gunpoint as police arrived on scene. He said officers issued commands to the suspect in an effort to stop her from entering the vehicle with the firearm, but she ignored those commands.
It was at this point that one of the officers observed the suspect in possession of a second weapon, which appeared to be a hand gun, said German."The actions of the female prompted the responding officers to reposition to safer locations," said German. "On the basis of the female's actions with respect to the handgun, one of the members discharged his firearm, striking the female suspect at least once. The officers were then able to subdue her and summon emergency medical assistance."
Both Howe and the Christenson Village manager, identified by witnesses at the scene as Kenn Perrier, were airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. German said he could not provide a detailed description of the nature of their injuries, but did say both were in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
Police cordoned off several blocks in front of Christenson Village shortly after the incident began and all area residents were asked to stay back. As the evening unfolded, residents were allowed back into the neighbourhood, while police continued to secure the scene and begin their investigation. Throughout the night, care home staff exited the facility, while family members of residents came by to check on their loved ones, some escorting relatives out of the facility.
The police investigation into the incident is broad with a multitude of agencies involved.
German said police have separated the two instances - that is, the shooting of the care worker and the police-involved shooting - and that both investigations are independent and impartial of each other.
"We have some information; however, we are reluctant for the integrity of the investigation to put out this information unless we are confident we have indeed all the facts. We are not prepared to elaborate on the details of this case," said Insp. Brendan Fitzpatrick, operations officer of E-division Major Crimes Unit. "With any major case like this, the RCMP brings out all the resources we can. This is a large site and there are three different locations that have to be forensically examined in order to document everything to have accurate and factual evidence to present to the courts."
Fitzpatrick said there were 10 officers in Gibsons with the major crime section while another three to four from that unit were working in the Lower Mainland - all of whom were investigating the police-involved shooting.
A commissioned officer with a major crime investigative background from the Victoria Police Department is acting as an impartial and independent investigator to provide oversight to the major crime section investigating the police-involved shooting.
"The local resources are involved in the shooting of the care worker and the highjacking of the car, and we have four to five members supplementing that investigation with other members," Fitzpatrick said. "We have scene security, RCMP officers securing one wing of the facility, forensic investigators, two or three firearms investigators, so the numbers are in the 40s to 50s and those numbers will go up and down as the investigation continues."
The explosive disposal unit was also engaged by police as a precautionary measure.
"There is no evidence to indicate a credible threat," added German. "We recognize that this is a major event for the community of Gibsons and we would like to reassure the community that this is an isolated incident and their safety is not at risk."
Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk said Tuesday's incident is tragic.
"This incident is one of shock. I think everyone was stunned, almost numb that this type of event would happen in this little idyllic community," Janyk said. "I want to re-confirm our confidence in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the Good Samaritan Society and the staff at Christenson Village. We have every respect for the people who run it and every confidence in the staff who operate it. I wish everyone affected - including the residents - the very best. We feel very, very deeply for the tragedy that occurred."
Janyk said the Town was working in close contact with the RCMP, VCH and the Good Samaritan Society in the investigations.
"I think it goes to show that there is no place that is immune in the world today from these types of tragedies," he said.
Carla Gregor, president and CEO of the Good Samaritan Society, which runs Christenson Village through a contract from VCH, said their first priority was to offer support and comfort to their staff, residents and families.
"We at the Good Samaritan Society are shocked and saddened by the events of yesterday," Gregor said. "We'll certainly be working with VCH on a critical incident review and we'll be looking at all our practices related to people moving in, moving out, what they bring in and out, so all of that will be subject to the investigation."
Gregor said she would not comment about the specific circumstances surrounding Howe's exit from the facility out of respect for Howe's privacy and confidentiality.
Unconfirmed reports from friends, though, said Howe was going to be moved to the psychiatric facility at St. Mary's Hospital in Sechelt.
"I can say in general that these decisions [to move residents] are never taken lightly," Gregor said. "We work with VCH, with the resident, to discuss alternatives and options that might be available to them for a more appropriate placement. So that is our process and this was exhausted and followed in this case. We had plans for her. We did not intend to put her out on the street."
One of the major questions still left unanswered by investigators is how Howe had firearms in her possession at the care facility.
That is something that will form the basis of investigations between VCH and the Good Samaritan Society, according to a VCH official.
"We will be conducting an internal investigation in partnership with Good Sam," said Gavin Wilson, director of public affairs for VCH. "The timelines and the exact nature of that investigation are being formulated at this time."
Gregor said staff had no reason to believe that there were firearms in Howe's possession.
"As you can imagine, this is a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances," she said. "We certainly have a process in place if we identify a resident with a firearm in their possession at the residence, but we don't have a practice of asking regularly if a firearm is present. It should be noted that these individuals are living independently in their own apartments with minimal support. They are free to come and go as they please, and we respect that this is their home."
Howe was apparently suffering from some mental health issues, after she returned to Canada following a tour of duty with Canada's Armed Forces in the first Gulf War. Howe was also involved in a traffic accident on Dec. 2, 2005 at Pratt and Chaster roads and was trying to recover from those injuries, including an apparent brain injury.
She was living at the Gibsons Garden Inn about a year ago, but left that facility to move to Christenson Village.
Shaw Road resident Jan DeGrass, who lives across the street from Christenson Village, has seen Howe on occasion at the care home.
"When I visited Christenson Village, I would often see Linda sitting at dinner, usually chatting to the other residents at her table, who were all much older than her," DeGrass said. "She lived on the ground floor in the assisted living side, which is for those able to take care of themselves in their own suites with some assistance. I would wave and say hello; sometimes I stopped to talk with her and she told me that since the accident that had given her a brain injury she remembered some things from the past, but not others. She was surprised that she remembered my name as we had met before her accident."
DeGrass said Howe had a dream of starting a women's rehab house on the Coast for recovering drug addicts and was determined to get healthy, both mentally and physically.
"In all my casual encounters with her in the past few years she seemed warm and pleasant," DeGrass said. "She was not a crazy lady, in my opinion. I believe she was a desperate one."
