Vancouver police investigate 'targeted murders' of 2 women in West Point Grey

Two women were shot dead in their car in Vancouver's upscale West Point Grey neighbourhood on Sunday, police have confirmed, in what officers described as "targetedmurders."

The Vancouver Police Department's homicide unit is investigatingwhat a spokesperson earlier calleda "very serious incident" in the city's west side, and by 9 p.m. PT had confirmed the killings are the city's first and second homicides of 2022.

The two victims were found by a local resident who police said was out for a walkSunday,and have been identified by police asShu-Min Wu, 50, and Ying Ying Sun, 39.

A police spokesperson said they received areport of trouble Sunday near the intersection of Discovery Street and West 8th Avenue.

"Vancouver's Emergency Response Team was briefly deployed to the neighbourhood Sunday morning to search a house near the crime scene, as investigators feared there could be additional victims inside," spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement Sunday night.

Earlier photos of the scene showinvestigators examining a white BMWwith a tarp over the driver-side window around midday Sunday, with a white police tent set up nearby.

"This is a very serious incident and it will be a complexand prolonged investigation that will take some time,"Addison said at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

Addison said investigators would be at the scene for much of Sunday and "in coming days," and are seeking the public's help with any tips or information.