As RCMP try to solve the targeted shooting of a city councillor turned real-estate agent in Maple Ridge, the mayor said residents are in shock and wondering how this could have happened in their otherwise quiet community.
Ernie Daykin said the uncertainty around what led to the shooting of Franz Prokop has been especially trying. He survived the noon-hour attack on Saturday and is recovering.
"What bothers me a little bit is there's all kinds of speculation and rumours," Mr. Daykin said in an interview on Tuesday.
Mr. Daykin praised the RCMP, saying they are working the case hard, and were quickly on the scene with key resources including the police dog service. Mr. Daykin said police have been necessarily vague about what's going on. "As in many serious crimes, they keep their cards close to their chest and are careful about what they release," he said.
RCMP Corporal Alanna Dunlop told The Globe and Mail she could not say much about the case, including the condition of Mr. Prokop or whether the public was at risk.
However, she said a statement she expected Wednesday would shed some light on the investigation.
Police have yet to specifically identify Mr. Prokop as the victim, but his name has been widely reported and was confirmed by Mr. Daykin.
Just after noon on Aug. 31, RCMP were called to a property where a man told them he had been shot. He was rushed to hospital. No one else was at the property.
A spokesperson for the RCMP said in a statement that the shooting was not random, and that investigators were "aggressively" working the case.
Mr. Daykin said Mr. Prokop is a "hard working guy" who was successful in various ventures. In the 1980s, he was a city councillor in Maple Ridge, a community of about 76,000 northeast of Vancouver. Then he ran a restaurant. After that, he became involved in real estate and was lately working as an agent.
"Most people are in a state of shock that this would happen in Maple Ridge," said Mr. Daykin. "Maple Ridge is a safe community. I kind of take it personally – 'This is my community. Don't do that stuff here.' "
Mr. Daykin recalled that as a plywood retailer he sold wood to Mr. Prokop for the renovation of his restaurant. "We enjoyed some great dinners there."