A man was shot to death in a home in Surrey after RCMP say he took a woman hostage

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Two people are dead following a hostage situation and a police-involved shooting in Surrey.

RCMP say police responded to a call around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday about a possible hostage situation inside a home on 98A Avenue near 132nd Street.

Neighbouring homes were evacuated and the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team was called to the scene.

RCMP say they made “multiple efforts” overnight and Thursday morning “to engage the barricaded male and a female hostage within the home in order to peacefully resolve the situation.”

Officers entered the home around 7:30 a.m. on Friday. After a confrontation, RCMP say the man was shot to death.

The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries but later died.

(Chad Harris, CityNews Vancouver)

“There were no other persons injured, no members of the police and no members of the public other than the two persons who are now deceased,” said Ron MacDonald with the Independent Investigations Office (IIO).

•Woman was found in the home with serious injuries. She died in the hospital

•No police officers or members of the public were hurt

•@iiobc has taken over the case to investigate any link between police actions and man's death 2/2 — NEWS 1130 (@NEWS1130) March 29, 2019

“We’re still trying to confirm the relationship between the victims,” he added. “My understanding is that they were known to each other.”

The IIO has taken over the investigation.

“We will focus today on identifying witnesses, identifying any evidence that if we don’t get right away might go missing,” MacDonald said. “And we will be really focusing on an examination of the scene doing our forensic examination of that.”

(Chad Harris, CityNews Vancouver)

One man who lives in a home around the corner from where it happened says it’s a shocking situation in his neighbourhood.

“It seems pretty quiet … It’s peaceful every time I walk over. Everyone was nice,” he said.

Police are asking people to stay away from the area.