Crow steals evidence in shooting
An infamous crow briefly made off with evidence at the scene of a police shooting at an East Side McDonald’s parking lot on Tuesday.
Police have released few details but confirmed officers shot a 28-year-old man after he allegedly confronted them with a knife. The man is in hospital being treated for non-life threatening gunshot and knife wounds. The parking lot is the same one where officers shot and killed Christopher Ray, 52, on Oct. 29, 2012.
More than 20 officers were at the scene, including one who was forced to chase down a crow that picked up a knife with its claws and flew a short distance before dropping back in the parking lot. The crow also tried to make off with a pair of eyeglasses in the lot and steal gear belonging to a television camera operator. Locals identified him as "Canuck," a crow that has become an online sensation.
Const. Brian Montague, a VPD media liaison officer, said police were in the area shortly after 1 pm on an unrelated call when they were alerted to a car burning in the McDonald’s parking lot at Hastings and Cassiar. The car, which had a Quebec licence plate, was destroyed in the fire, which heavily damaged a van in the neighbouring parking stall.
“When officers went to deal with the car fire and keep the public away until firefighters could arrive, they were confronted by a man armed with a knife,” Montague said in a statement. “The man allegedly came at the officers and shots were fired.”
The Independent Investigations Office is investigating to determine whether police committed any offences in the shooting.
–Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier
BCers happy with commute: poll
It’s one of our favourite things to complain about: our daily commutes. It appears, however, that most workers in BC are actually happy with their travels to and from work or school, according to an Insights West study released May 24. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said they feel their commutes are pleasant. This includes 24 per cent who called their trips “extremely pleasant.”
Almost one-in-three respondents called their commutes “annoying.” Among those who say they are happy with their trips, those who are able to walk to work or school are the happiest, with 96 per cent saying they find their trips pleasant, followed by those who bike, at 95 per cent.
Those who drive and those who take public transit report lower levels of satisfaction, at 62 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively. Some of the main reasons drivers say they are unhappy with their commutes are bad behaviour on the road (62 per cent) and traffic (58 per cent). Transit users say they are unhappy with overcrowding inside vehicles (71 per cent) and wait times (64 per cent).
–Emma Crawford Hampel, Business in Vancouver
