CAMPBELL RIVER SHOOTING WAS OVER DRUGS

A 45-year-old man was shot in the leg during a drug dispute Sunday
morning in Campbell River.

The man, who was seriously injured, was airlifted to Victoria General
Hospital after the 7:30 a.m. shooting.

Two men were originally arrested in connection with the shooting but
were let go without charges, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Doug Greep.

"We're going through all the information and because of the
conflicting stories we want to make sure we get our information
correct. We don't want to go too fast," said Greep.

According to police, three men with machetes, looking for a fight,
went to a house on Cedar Street, an area north of the Campbell River
General Hospital. There was another group of men at the house.

The group with machetes was "greeted with a shotgun," said Greep.
"One of the men who showed up with a machete was shot in the leg."

The members of both groups are known to police.

"From the interviews we had, it's clear that the disagreement between
the two groups was related to drugs," said the staff sergeant.

Greep said the crime was not racially motivated.

"Right now we're still dealing with a number of witnesses. We're
getting varied stories on the details and so we have to sort them out
and try and come down to exactly what did occur."