By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Steven Marlo Gallagher who was identified as a suspect in the July 1 shooting at White Sands beach on Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) land was taken into custody by the Penticton RCMP late last night after he turned himself in.
The Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen (PSOS) RCMP confirms it is no longer seeking the public’s assistance to locate Gallagher.
Sgt. Jason Bayda, Area Commander, Osoyoos Detachment RCMP thanked the general public for their assistance and tip information and said the RCMP does not believe there is any further threat to the public.
But as part of their ongoing investigation, the PSOS RCMP is still urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the Osoyoos RCMP at 250-495-7236.
This investigation includes reviewing all evidence to determine whether there is also a link to two shootings in Penticton on June 26, 2022 and June 28, 2022.
Just yesterday (July 6) the RCMP had warned the general public that Gallagher was still at large and considered “armed and dangerous”.
Gallagher, who is well known to the police, was charged with breaking into Remedy’s RX pharmacy in Oliver and starting a fire on May 15, 2021. On the same day, someone fired shots at a police vehicle while it was parked at the RCMP detachment. A truck was also set on fire next to the Subway eatery in downtown Oliver.
The July 1 incident saw a 22-year-old from Maple Ridge suffering non-life-threatening injuries after being shot in the hip allegedly by Gallagher after the two became involved in a dispute.
Both the victim and the suspect arrived at the beach overland which requires entering the private property of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB). Most users of the beach arrive by boat.
