Investigators gather in the alley behind Earle Crescent to piece together the car bombing mystery.
Lyonel Doherty photo
Police continue to piece together evidence in hopes of determining who detonated a bomb under a vehicle in Oliver on August 11.
RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen said investigators are still speaking to witnesses in the 600 block of Earle Crescent where the incident occurred.
Police reported that an improvised explosive device blew up under a vehicle at approximately 2 am. The vehicle sustained significant damage to its undercarriage.
Shrapnel from the blast flew across the alley and penetrated a garage. A piece also penetrated another garage wall and exited through the other side.
Thiessen said police are not considering the incident as a prank but more of a targeted attack.
Do Oliver residents need to be concerned for their safety?
“Generally speaking, people don’t need to be unduly alarmed. We’re dealing with it appropriately and with as many resources as required,” Thiessen said.
The officer said it’s too early to tell if the explosive device was professionally constructed or home made.
Thiessen said he was not in a position to say if police have a suspect.
The resident whose vehicle was bombed in the alley behind Earle Crescent did not return the Chronicle’s phone call.
A next door neighbour said the shrapnel from the blast tore through her garage and out the other side. When asked further questions, she said the police have all the information, however, she expressed her hope that a suspect would be found soon.
Another neighbour told the Chronicle that she was awakened by the blast at 2 am, but didn’t investigate at the time. Later that morning she was informed about the hole in her garage. She then discovered a piece of shrapnel and took it to the Oliver RCMP.
The woman expressed her concern for public safety, and was taken aback to see the alley filled with police.
Neighbour Aimee Grice agreed the incident was very unsettling. “Initially I assumed it was someone experimenting with something that they learned online, but once I learned it was under a car, it seemed more likely to be a targeted attack.”
But Grice said she doesn’t feel that people are in danger because it’s probably an isolated incident. “It’s a relief that no one was injured, especially seeing the damage.”
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
