Woman seriously injured in daytime shooting near Oppenheimer Park

Vancouver police are investigating after a woman was shot and seriously injured at Oppenheimer Park on Saturday afternoon in what officerssay was not a random shooting.

The 53-year-old woman from Powell River, B.C., was shot while stopped in a vehicle on Dunlevy Avenue, just west of the park, according to police. She had been visiting a man who's livingat theencampment.

VPD Sgt. Aaron Roedsays investigators are still working to determine who the intended target was.

Police received reports of the shootingaround 3:30 p.m. PT on Saturdayafter the victim showed up in hospital. She underwent surgeryand her injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

Police saidthey're concerned by a significantuptick in violence, weapons and calls to Oppenheimer Park and the surrounding area, which they attribute to gangs competing for territory around the park.

Earlier this month, policearrested three street gang members who were allegedly planning to kill a rival drug trafficker who operates near Oppenheimer.

Jennifer Nelson lives close to the park andworks fora program that offers cannabis products tohelp addicts transition off harder drugs.

"It's a little scary with the number of shootings that have happened here and stabbings and other things like that, but I pretty much keep to myself," she said. "I think it's been a little worse this year. It's kind of crazy down here sometimes."

Nelson and others said that the problem with violence in around the parkwas mostly due to gangs, not people living at the encampment.

People at Oppenheimer Park say they feel safety concerns in the area are overblown:

'I feel safe:' People at Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park react to latest violence in area

5 years ago

Duration 1:03

People in and around Oppenheimer Park say the problem has more to do with gangs than residents at the park.

Witnesses sought

Detectives from VPD's Major Crime Section are in the early stages of the investigation and are looking to speak to anyone with information.

Witnesses are asked to call the Major Crime Section at 604-717-2541, or to make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.