MAN SHOT IN HIS COQUITLAM HOME

The death of a 51-year-old man on a quiet Coquitlam street Monday morning
may have been related to the more than 200 marijuana plants found in his
home, police say.

The man's death is being considered a murder - the Tri-Cities' first this year.

Coquitlam RCMP received an anonymous call reporting gun shots in the 1100
block of Charland Avenue shortly before 8:30 a.m., so officers began
knocking on doors on the street.

When police knocked on the door of the victim's one-level, white stucco
house, a dispatcher told them that a man inside had called 911 for an
ambulance. Officers went inside to give first aid and found a man had been
shot.

The 51-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Royal
Columbian Hospital, but died from his injuries.

While searching the house for other injured people, officers discovered a
grow op.

"We have very strong suspicions that it is linked (to the shooting), but we
don't have 100-per-cent proof at this time," spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre
told the Vancouver Sun Monday. "More often than not, violence does seem to
show up when we have these types of things."

Neighbours are shocked.

One woman, who didn't want to give her name, said he was a "nice fellow"
who always said "hi." She described him as friendly and gentle.

She couldn't believe what had happened and when she heard there had been
gun shots (she was home at the time, but didn't hear anything), she thought
maybe one of his hunting rifles had gone off.

"I was really surprised, really shocked," she said, shaking her head in
disbelief. "He's a really nice fellow. That's why I'm shocked he passed away."

According to one neighbour who has lived on the street for 10 years, and
also declined to give her name, residents look after each other - they pay
attention to strange cars parked on the street, watch each other's homes
when someone goes on holiday and call police if they see anything suspicious.

"We kind of look out for each other," she said.

She said the victim, who she knew as Ryan, had rented the house for two or
three years. She said he lived alone, was very quiet and never did anything
suspicious.

She said he hunted, went to dog shows and had three friendly, well-trained
dogs, one of which is a puppy.

When she left the house at 7:15 Monday morning, her neighbour's van was
parked in the driveway and everything looked as it should have.

Although both women describe where they live as "a very nice
neighbourhood," Monday's discovery is the fourth grow op on the street in
five years.

The women say they have a hard time believing there was a grow op in the
house because they didn't smell anything, as they had before.

"These things are everywhere ... but I cannot put him into the picture,"
one said.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the investigation
and, as of Tuesday afternoon, police had no suspects and no suspect
vehicles. A cause of death has not been released, but an autopsy will be
performed.

Lemaitre could not confirm whether the victim was known to police.