VICTORIA -- One person is dead after a brazen daylight shooting in Nanaimo on Thursday afternoon.
The shooting occurred at the Rock City Centre at 2980 Island Highway, where there are multiple fast-food restaurants.
Officers were called to the plaza's parking lot around 3:30 p.m. for reports of shots fired, Nanaimo RCMP said in a news release Thursday.
When they arrived, they found a deceased man in a parked vehicle, who appeared to have died from gunshot wounds, police said. The BC Coroners Service is also investigating.
Mounties said they have arrested "several people" in connection to their investigation. The arrests were made at the Best Western Hotel on Metral Street, police said, adding that they had also seized a vehicle associated with the arrested individuals.
“This is a dynamic investigation and at this time we cannot confirm if there are others who are not in custody, who may be involved in this shooting," said Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O'Brien, in the release.
"As further information becomes known, the public will be advised,” O'Brien added.
A source tells CTV News the incident appears to be a targeted hit, likely gang-related.
Video from the scene posted to social media shows several police vehicles and officers in the area. A white SUV with at least one broken window can be seen partially covered with a yellow tarp.
Police said they do not believe there is a risk to the public at this time, and they're asking anyone who has dash cam video from the Rock City Plaza area to get in touch with them.
Investigators are specifically looking for video recorded between 3:15 and 3:45 p.m. Thursday. They ask anyone who has such evidence to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, and quote file 2021-18372.
