The police say a 33-year-old woman fatally gunned down in East Vancouver was the intended target of the brazen shooting, but her family believes she was an innocent bystander.

The murder of Janice Nicole Bryant marks the city's eighth homicide of 2017.

Officers found Bryant suffering from gunshot wounds after being called to East 7th Avenue and St. Catherines Street, not far from China Creek Park, shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

She was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries shortly after arriving.

Camille Brockmann said she heard three gunshots that "echoed through the whole neighbourhood."

“It’s very, very shocking because this is a very safe neighbourhood,” she told CTV Vancouver.

Const. Jason Doucette said investigators don't believe the shooting was random, and the victim’s background will form part of the department’s investigation.

"We're looking for possible motive and reasons why this would have happened," said Doucette.

"It appears that she was the intended target but we are looking at all options and all the information available.”

Doucette would not say if Bryant was known to police, only that she was a Vancouver resident.

The victim's cousin told CTV News that Bryant was a good person and the mother of a teenage girl, but she cut almost all ties with her family about a year ago.

"They were successful in taking a beautiful soul from us," Danielle Gentile said. "Drugs and crime are something we need to take more seriously."

The murder victim was on the street in front of her apartment with another person when she was shot, but police still aren't sure about what their relationship is, or whether they just happened to be talking at the time.

People at the crime scene that identified themselves to CTV Vancouver as Bryant's mother and brother said it was her husband that was targeted by the gunman, and their loved one was only a bystander.

Gentile said this is the second time an attempt on Bryant's life was made.

"I know with all this violence and destruction quite often these people don't want the actual person they're after. They want them to suffer," she said.

The family says Bryant's daughter is distraught and is currently en route back to Vancouver. They are raising money to pay for her education.

So far, no arrests have been made and authorities have not released any suspect descriptions.

The Vancouver police does not believe the general public are at risk, but are concerned about the fact the murder happened in a high-traffic residential area close to a park used by families.

"This was a careless act. The person who pulled the trigger appears to know they were in a populated area," Doucette said.

Witnesses said a silver Toyota that had its windshield shot out was seen driving away from the area after the gunfire rang out.

Sammy Ahmed said one witness was able to get the first three digits of the license plate of the vehicle.

Anyone with information on the killing is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department's Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500.

Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from CTV's Ben Miljure and Jon Woodward