Steven Middleton, Death — The body of a man, identified as 33-year-old Steven Middleton, was discovered in Oak Bay on Wednesday, and the circumstances surrounding his death were deemed to be suspicious. Steven Middleton, 33 years old, has been identified as the man whose body was discovered dead in Oak Bay on Wednesday under mysterious circumstances. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit Police made the identification.
The investigation, which was initiated when someone discovered Middleton’s body in the 200-block of Beach Drive, has been taken over by the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit. Middleton’s body was found in the area. The police are requesting any videos that were taken along this route between the hours of 10 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Any video that was taken on Beach Drive between Cadboro Bay Village and Gonzales Bay or any of the neighboring streets between the hours of 10 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday is being requested by the police. There has been no one taken into custody, but the police have stated that there is “no information to suggest that there is a risk to the public at this time.”
Call the VIIMCU information line at (250) 380-6211 if you have any information regarding Middleton’s movements this week or if you have had any contact with him. The police are also asking for anyone who may have seen him recently.
Related Article: Shooting that caused death in Metchosin is still under investigation
The killing of a local man in what police are calling a targeted shooting in Metchosin remains under investigation. On March 5 at around 9 o’clock at night, reports came in that a man had been shot in the 4600 block of Sooke Road. A 37-year-old man was pronounced deceased at the scene when emergency workers arrived, including the Police Dog Service from the West Shore RCMP and the Emergency Response Team from the Vancouver Island RCMP. Police knew the deceased person well. “This was not a random act of violence,” stated Const. Alex Berube, media relations officer for the West Shore RCMP, during a press conference on Saturday.
Although authorities have yet to confirm his name, pals have identified the victim as Shane Wilson through social media. Wilson, whose nickname was “The Warrior,” was a boxer and MMA fighter who appeared at events including Summer Slugfest at Western Speedway. Berube said that preliminary evidence at the scene indicates the shooting was targeted, adding that no one has been arrested and that the case has been turned over to the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit. Berube said during a press conference on Saturday that investigators are still trying to determine who was responsible for the shooting and why. “At this point, we are not ruling out any potential explanations or suspects,” the official said.
He stressed that while locals “may feel uneasy about a shooting happening in a rural area such as Metchosin,” they have reason to assume the victim was an intended target. Berube was unable to determine whether or not the shooting had gang ties. After the incident on Friday night, police stopped both lanes of Sooke Road near Kangaroo Road until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Over the course of the weekend, police remained present and detectives conducted their inquiries. On Sunday, the West Shore RCMP explained that their presence in the Esquimalt Lagoon the previous day had nothing to do with the shooting that had taken place the day before. On Monday, the police did not provide any additional details.
Investigators are looking for anyone who was in or around the 4600 block of Sooke Road on Friday evening between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. The Integrated Major Crime Unit for Vancouver Island can be reached at (250) 380-6211. The police are also interested in any dash cam footage that may be available.
