Man in serious condition after shooting at Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park

A man was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuriesafter he was shot late Thursday afternoonat Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver policesay.

Police were called to the park just after 5:30 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to hospital. B.C. Emergency Health Services said the victim was in serious condition.

A large police presence gathered for several hours at the Downtown Eastside park, which is occupied by dozens of homeless campers.

Police established a perimeter around the park as uniformed tactical officers checked on tents with flashlights, accompanied by police dogs. Police patted down residents and checked their pockets.

TransLinkdetoured several buses due to the incident.

By 8 p.m., officers removedthe police tape. In a statement later that evening, police said they wereinvestigating and declined to providemore information.

Paramedic crews were responding to a call about a potential overdose shortly before 6 p.m. and were two blocks from Oppenheimer Park when they heard gunshots, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.

The crews were speaking to emergency dispatch and alerted them about the shooting. Police were then notified.

The paramedics continued to their overdose call but four other units, including a paramedic specialist and supervisor, were dispatched to Oppenheimer Park.

Tina Anderson lives a block away from the park and saidshe heard four gunshots sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m.

She then heard police sirens and saw police cars pull up atthe northwestcorner of the park at Powell and Dunlevystreets.

The park has housed a homeless encampmentfor more than a year.

Police warned in September that public safety in the area was deteriorating, citing anincreaseinemergency calls to the park and assaults against officers between 2018 and 2019.

In July, a 31-year-old manwas shot next to the park and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. And in late October,a 53-year-old woman was seriously injured after she was accidentally shot by her son near the park.

Earlier this week, the Vancouver Park Board said it plannedto obtain an injunction to stop people from camping there.

It's also hiring an outside agency to assess the park and make recommendations for safety, support and shelter alternatives for campers.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to call VPD'sMajor Crime Section at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.