Two people are dead and two others injured after a driver struck pedestrians outside Tsawwassen Mills mall in Metro Vancouver. The crash occurred as the Tsawwassen First Nation was marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a community walk nearby. Police say the two events were not related.
The Tsawwassen First Nation lost two elders on Wednesday when a vehicle struck pedestrians outside the shopping centre on their lands, in a tragic incident police believed was caused by the driver having a medical emergency.
In a statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the loss left “the entire community in grief and shock” on an already challenging day.
This is how today’s events unfolded, with all times in PT:
9:30 a.m. A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event begins in the Tsawwassen First Nation rec centre parking lot, with attendees taking part in a community walk.
10:15 a.m. A house post unveiling is scheduled to take place at an entrance to the nearby Tsawwassen Mills mall, where the walk was slated to end.
10:25 a.m. The time of the collision, according to Delta police. Photos and videos show the incident happened outside an entrance to the Tsawwassen Mills mall.
10:31 a.m. B.C. Emergency Health Services receives a call about a motor vehicle incident involving pedestrians at Tsawwassen Mills. Twelve ground ambulances and two air ambulances attend the scene.
10:45 a.m. The size of the crowd and emergency response is visible to drivers on Highway 17, many having unloaded from an inbound ferry at the nearby B.C. Ferries terminal.
10:59 a.m. The Tsawwassen First Nation announces the remainder of the event has been cancelled due to a “civil emergency.” It asks people to avoid the area and participants to walk back the way they came.
11:30 a.m. Police say the driver of the vehicle involved in the collision may have had a medical emergency and confirm four pedestrians were struck.
12:12 p.m. Police confirm two people are dead while two others were injured.
2:19 p.m. In a social media post, Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences to the Tsawwassen First Nation, stating the two people killed were elders.
4:58 p.m. Police confirmed with CBC News that the two dead were elders of the Tsawwassen First Nation.
