B.C. shooting suspect dies after allegedly setting fire to apartment building: RCMP

FORT ST. JOHN — Police in northern British Columbia say a man was found dead inside a car Friday after he allegedly set fire to an apartment building and drove into the flames.

Fort St. John RCMP say in a statement that the man had been a suspect in a shooting outside the same apartment complex that day.

The Mounties say officers responded to a report of a shooting in which a man in a car allegedly shot at a pick-up truck with two people inside at about 1:20 p.m.

The two people in the truck went to the local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and police say the facility underwent a lockdown procedure “out of an abundance of caution.”

Meanwhile, police say officers arrived at the apartment building along 103 Avenue to find it ablaze, and the initial investigation suggests the man suspected in the shooting had set the fire before driving his vehicle into the flames.

Sgt. Kris Clark says the incident appears to have been isolated, with no ongoing risk to the public, and police have identified “several key witnesses” in the case.

The Mounties are asking anyone with dash-camera footage or other information, and who has yet to speak with police, to contact them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2025.

The Canadian Press