Shots in Quesnel, B.C., neighbourhood did not meet threshold for public alert: RCMP

QUESNEL – RCMP say a shots-fired call that drew a heavy RCMP presence to a neighbourhood in Quesnel, B.C., and prompted door-to-door evacuations this week did not meet the threshold for a public alert.

Wednesday’s incident had set social media alight with speculation, with several Facebook posts describing it as an “active shooter” situation.

Police issued a statement the next day, saying officers responded to a report of a man shooting multiple rounds inside a home, with some bullets striking a neighbouring residence on Nason Street.

Mounties say the shooter “became dormant” shortly after their arrival and officers entered the home to find the man suffering life-threatening injuries from what is presumed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

They say no one else was injured, and B.C.’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, has since taken conduct of the probe.

A subsequent statement from Staff Sgt. Kris Clark on Friday says he understands the public’s desire to get information as quickly as possible, but rushing to provide it “risks the integrity, transparency and independence” of the investigation.

The first statement about a case under investigation by the watchdog comes from the RCMP but requires approval from both agencies, a process that “takes time,” he says.

Still, Clark says “priority will always be given to informing the community of any ongoing risk to public safety.”

While Clark says the incident did not meet certain criteria to trigger a public alert, he confirmed Quesnel RCMP officers had gone door-to-door to evacuate homes in the neighbourhood on the east side of the central Interior community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.