Vehicle used in the murder
Photo: Brayden Ursel
A body was discovered near the William R. Bennett Bridge last Friday.
The victim of last week’s alleged killing near the William R. Bennett Bridge is believed to have been killed by a vehicle.
On the afternoon of July 29, a body was discovered in Okanagan Lake near Shelter Bay Marina on the West Kelowna side of the bridge. At the time, police said the death may have involved criminal activity, and on Aug. 1, 25-year-old Wyne Zablan was charged with first-degree murder.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the sd. Kara Triance said a vehicle was used to commit the alleged murder, but did not provide further details.
“Our investigators have worked around the clock and seized perishable evidence in this matter and continue to brief the courts,” he said.
A death caused by a vehicle can result in criminal charges ranging from careless driving causing death to manslaughter, if it was not intentional. A charge of first-degree murder implies that Friday’s alleged killing was planned and deliberate.
According to online court records, Zablan has no prior charges in BC
Police were initially unable to identify the victim and investigators asked for the public’s help in identifying the man, aged between 20 and 40, of “Asian ethnicity”.
Court documents show police had not yet identified the victim when the murder charge was first filed on Aug. 1, with the charge alleging that Zablan “committed the murder in first degree of an unknown person”. But when Kelowna RCMP announced the charge the next day, they said the victim had been identified and knew Zablan.
Police have not yet released the victim’s identity to the public.
Zablan remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Kelowna court on August 29.