A Balmoral Avenue family woke up just after 4 a.m. Monday morning to the sound of shots being fired next door.
"I woke up to the sound of rolling gunfire," said Norm Hansford, whose bedroom window sits less than 20 feet from where nearly a dozen bullet casings were found by police.
"It was almost like a machine gun," added his wife, Jan Hansford.
Norm said he jumped out of bed and saw two cars - a Honda Civic and an older Ford Tempo - and a heard a man say, "Let's go, bro," as he got into one of the cars.
Nearly a dozen bullet casings littered the driveway of the bungalow but none seemed to have hit the house or any nearby vehicles, leading neighbours to wonder what the shooter was even aiming at.
The Hansfords said the house next to them in the 1500-block of Balmoral Avenue has been rented out a few times in the past year or so but the last tenant, a man in his 20s, moved out about a month ago. They suspected the house contained a marijuana grow operation because the blinds were always drawn and the windows were often fogged up.
Just before the shooting started the Hansfords heard what sounded like a door being kicked in.
Coquitlam RCMP investigators believe the house was targeted but there was no sign of a grow op, said Cpl. Jamie Chung.
"When we went to the house we found the door was wide open and they went inside to clear the house and basically found no one," he added, confirming the house was empty.
Officers from the major crime section, as well as general duty officers, are investigating and do not believe the neighbourhood is at risk.
Chung said it's not clear whether the shooter was aiming towards the street or back yard, adding the police are asking for the public's help in providing them with information.
"Even at that time of the morning somebody may have seen something out there, or heard a name before the shots were being fired," Chung said.
Police believe the suspect(s) left in one or more vehicles after shooting at the house, but there are very limited descriptions related to the suspect(s) or the vehicle(s) involved at this point. Anyone with information is asked to contact Coquitlam RCMp at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2012-12027 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
