Police have confirmed that an early Monday morning shooting in the Canadian town of Langley, located in the province of British Columbia, left three people dead, including the shooter himself. Other people were injured.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the attack took place in different parts of the city and in the district of Langley, 40 km from Vancouver. Authorities said the names of the victims will only be released after families have been notified.

It is not known what prompted the crime, according to the police.

The alert triggered during the attack said the suspect was white, wearing a cap and wearing a camouflage shirt. He was killed by officers responding to the attack.

Police say the victims were homeless and were the specific targets of the attack.

Reuters news agency reports that two SUVs hit by gunfire were spotted near the scene of the incident.

The shooter also allegedly fired into buildings that were closed and unoccupied at the time.

“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of everyone involved in this tragic event,” Langley Mayor Val van den Broke said, according to the local Langley Advance Times website. He also said that the number of homeless people is higher in British Columbia than in other Canadian provinces and that the authorities must do more to minimize this problem.

Lawyer Kim Snow, who defends the homeless, said the victims were people who “just needed a place to live”. “They need opportunities, they’re not on the streets by choice,” Snow said.

In 2017, a list based on several crime rates in Canada found Langley to be the sixth most dangerous city in the country.

– This text was published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62298571