A shooting in South Burnaby Wednesday afternoon left a 27-year-old Vancouver man dead and police thankful that no one else was hurt.

At about 4:30 p.m. Burnaby RCMP received a report of multiple gunshots fired at the rear of a building in the 7700-block of Edmonds Street.

Officers found a man inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot injury and removed him to start administering first aid, said Corp. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). Moments after paramedics arrived, they determined the man had died from his wounds.

"Based on what is known at this point of the investigation this incident appears to have strong indicators suggesting a targeted murder," Carr said in a press release Wednesday evening.

The murder scene is behind a building that houses Dancin' Stars dance school, Columbia Martial Arts Academy and Timber Land. The building is next door to the Lost in the 50s drive-in restaurant.

The shooting happened at a time of day when parents often drop off their children for dance classes.

“This is yet another very public murder not unlike the murders that occurred in the spring. The time of day and proximity to a dance studio for children demonstrates that the people involved in this activity have a total disregard for others around the area," said Carr. "It is fortunate that no one other than the apparent intended victim was harmed.”

Two males wearing dark clothing were seen fleeing the area in a minivan. Investigators have yet to confirm the colour of the vehicle.

A witness, who asked not to be named, said he heard six or seven gunshots before seeing a van racing away westbound on Canada Way. At the murder scene, he saw the victim, who appeared to be Asian. He was driving a black SUV and looked like he'd been shot in the head.

He overheard someone say the victim trained regularly at the martial arts school.

The victim has been identified but police won't be releasing his name until they've notified next of kin. He was known to police.

Meanwhile, an area resident called police Wednesday afternoon after discovering two guns at the side of the road two blocks away from the murder scene, according to IHIT.

Investigators secured the evidence and processed it as possibly being linked to the homicide. The guns will be sent to a lab and compared with evidence from the murder scene to determine if they are linked to this or any other homicide.

“Considering the nature of these shooting incidents, the shooters have absolutely no regard for the safety of others in the area," Carr said Thursday.

"It has become very apparent that if you have even the slightest of association with anyone involved in organized crime or the drug trade, you put yourself and the others around at risk."

Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT Tip Line at 1-877-551-IHIT or, to remain anonymous, CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com