Vancouver has recorded its ninth homicide of the year – matching the city's total for all of 2010.
The body of a woman believed to be in her thirties was discovered inside a home Tuesday evening. Her killing was the second of a Vancouver resident in as many days, and the third in less than two weeks.
But at a news conference Wednesday, police said none of this year's deaths appear to be linked, nor does it seem gang violence is once again on the rise.
"A couple of years ago, when we were in the midst of a gang war, it was really easy to point to those types of things because they were all related to gang activity in our communities," said Constable Lindsey Houghton, a police spokesman. "With these types of [slayings], it's impossible to predict and to pinpoint exact reasons why."
In 2008, Vancouver police investigated 19 homicides. One year later, that number fell to 18. In 2010, the force investigated a record-low nine killings.
Tuesday, police arrived at a west-side residence around 10:30 p.m. after receiving a call to check on the welfare of a woman inside. Officers entered the home after not getting an answer and found the woman's body. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine when she died, along with her cause of death. Police did not release the woman's name and said they were still working to positively identify her.
A man was taken into custody, though police provided little detail on his relationship to the victim. The department also declined comment on whether there were signs of a struggle, or if a weapon was used.
Constable Houghton said two killings in two days is "very unusual" for Vancouver.
Monday night, 21-year-old Harpreet Singh Sandhu died after a shooting on a southeast street. Mr. Sandhu was not known to police. No arrests have been made in the case and police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Sergeant Shinder Kirk, spokesman for the province's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit that fights organized crime, said while gang violence might not be as visible as it was a few years ago when shootings seemed to occur on an almost-daily basis, disputes remain between criminal groups.
"Violence in gangs or organized crime does go in cycles and those cycles can either be short in length or long in length. … We are fully aware it can erupt at any time for any reason and anywhere."
Sgt. Kirk said investigators have made progress when it comes to fighting gangs in recent years. "Even though the public may not see investigators out there dealing with this sort of issue, they can rest assured that there are investigators out there working very hard to address it before the violence actually does occur."