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Suspect arrested in East Vancouver double murder

The Vancouver resident is suspected of fatally shooting two men inside a residence near Commercial Drive
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Vancouver Police on scene Monday, July 6, 2020, investigating a double murder that took place in a residence near Commercial Drive. Photo: Elana Shepert / Vancouver Is Awesome

Police have announced the arrest of a Vancouver man suspected in a double homicide that took place in East Vancouver early Tuesday.

Jason Holland, a 43-year-old Vancouver resident, was taken into custody Wednesday night in Harrison Hot Springs by the RCMP’s Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, with assistance from Chilliwack and Agazzi RCMP, and the VPD’s Emergency Response Team.

The two homicide victims have been identified as 72-year-old Dennis Wragg and 68-year-old Paul Tonks. Both are from Vancouver.

The fatal shootings were the city's sixth and seventh homicides of 2020.

Police say they received a 911 call regarding the shooting inside a residence located near Commercial Drive and East 11th Avenue just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the VPD indicated they had identified a vehicle of interest that may be connected to the killings. That vehicle, a grey 2005 Dodge Caravan minivan, with British Columbia license plate number 175-LXR, was recovered Wednesday in Chilliwack.

Holland remains in custody.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact detectives from the VPD’s Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.