'It was surreal': Victim’s mother arrested at scene of fatal shooting in Port Alberni

Port Alberni, B.C. -

One man is dead after a gun was fired inside a home on 18th Avenue in Port Alberni, B.C., on Sunday evening.

Police are not releasing the names of those involved but CTV News has learned the victim is Jesse McPhee and the woman arrested at the scene is his mother, Samantha Dittmer.

"When RCMP members arrived they cleared the residence and found that one male had been shot and that there was another suspect inside the residence," said RCMP Cpl. Chris Manseau.

Neighbour Mike Barrowcliff heard the shot while he was sitting on his deck across the street.

"A girl came out of the house quite distraught and saying someone was going to die and needed an ambulance: ‘Could somebody help me please?’" Barrowcliff says.

He says the RCMP arrived on scene moments later with their weapons drawn.

"It was surreal,” Barrowcliff says. “You don't expect it to be on your street but 'surreal' is the best word I can use for it.”

Barrowcliff says police told neighbours to remain inside their homes while they dealt with the situation.

Another neighbour, Dylan Gauthier, says the home was the scene of frequent family disputes.

"Bickering next door is kind of common so I thought maybe there was just a dispute,” Gauthier says. “I didn't really think much of the guns being drawn other than maybe [for] their protection but the more that we heard of what was going on we realized it was a little more serious than that.”

Members of the BC SPCA arrived at the home Monday afternoon to remove two dogs from the rear of the property.

The RCMP say their investigation at the scene could take several days.