Multiple Shootings in Langley B.C. Leave Three Dead, Including Suspect

Two people were killed and two seriously injured during a series of shootings on Monday in Langley, British Columbia, which appear to have targeted homeless people. 

The incidents took place in a number of locations in the City of Langley, about 50 kilometres southeast from Vancouver, and one in the nearby Township of Langley, RCMP confirmed. Now, investigations are underway by Langley RCMP, the Integrated Forensic Identification Section (IFIS), and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, an agency made up of RCMP officers and civilians. Here is what we know so far:

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed that the shooter was 28-year-old Jordan Daniel Goggin from Surrey. The man was already known to police for “non-criminal” contacts. 

An emergency alert issued early in the morning described the suspect as white man with dark hair. He was wearing brown Carhartt coveralls and a blue-green camouflage T-shirt with a red logo on the right sleeve, and was linked to a white car, the alert said. 

Police confirmed that they shot and killed Goggin Monday (5:45 a.m.) 

An early alert sent to resident cellphones at 6:20 a.m. Monday said the attacks involved “transient” victims, prompting police to consider whether attacks may have targeted homeless people in the area. Officers haven’t confirmed a motive yet. 

“At this time we don’t know the motive behind this deadly incident, nor if there was any relationship between the deceased suspect and the victims,” said Chief Superintendent Ghalib Bhayani, BC RCMP Lower Mainland Assistant District Commander.

The string of shootings—four locations in total—started around midnight on Monday, when a woman was shot and sustained critical injuries, the Globe and Mail reported. Three hours later, a man was shot and killed at a local supportive housing project, and then at about 5 a.m. another man was killed at a bus loop. Police found the suspect at 5:45 a.m. and shot him dead. Yet another victim with a gunshot wound in his leg was recovered nearby. 

The first emergency alert urging people to avoid the area was sent out at 6:20 a.m.—after police had shot the suspect dead and nearly six hours after the first shooting. A second alert came at 7:20 a.m. confirming that the suspect was no longer a threat. People were nonetheless urged to avoid the area as police still needed to confirm only one suspect was involved.

Bhayani said some people are wondering why the emergency alert only showed up on people’s phones in Langley—and not surrounding areas. 

“Some folks outside of Langley are calling, asking why did the alert come to us in Burnaby, or other jurisdictions,” Bhayani said. “People do drive into work, into Langley, in the morning, and the investigation was still ongoing. We were not completely satisfied that public safety—that we had that piece yet.”

It was the second time in the past year that RCMP triggered the telephone alert system in the province during an active shooter situation, with the previous one involving a shooter in Vanderhoof in November. B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told reporters that the alert used will be reviewed. 

Police haven’t released the victims’ identities yet; their families or next of kin still need to be informed. But homeless advocate with Kimz Angels, Kim Snow, told Global News that the two victims who died were homeless. She said she’s angry, sad, and frustrated.

“They are suffering souls. They are just people that need a place to live, they need chances. They are not on the street by choice,” Snow said.

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