North Vancouver's Brandon Hughes died early this morning in hospital after police discovered the 28-year-old mortally wounded outside a home near Carson Graham secondary.

At approximately 2:10 a.m. officers responded to a disturbance call, when they discovered Hughes near the corner of Jones and 21st Street. He later died at a local hospital.

Area residents told police they heard gunshots. Sgt. Peter Thiessen, RCMP homicide investigation unit spokesman, said there were others with Hughes at the time of the incident and they have been interviewed. He would not say if they have a suspect.

"We have witnesses," Thiessen said. "It is unclear to exactly what they saw," he said during a press briefing near the crime scene.

The case is being treated as a "targeted homicide," but it is unclear if Hughes was the intended target, he said.

"This was not a random act," Thiessen said.

When asked he would not say whether Hughes was known to police, but as with any homicide case police are investigating possible links to gangs and drugs, Thiessen said.

Rae Gordon says he was having trouble sleeping last night when he heard two "pops." Gordon, who is visiting his mother from the Interior, went to the front window to see what the sound was.

It was approximately 2 a.m. and following the "pops" he heard voices and crying, he said.

"I heard someone say, 'Do it. Do it.' There was this crying, wailing, commotion," Gordon said.

From his mother's house on 21st Street, Gordon said it sounded like three of four voices, including a female voice, coming from the alleyway.

"I said to my mother at the time, 'that didn't sound good,'" he said.

No longer than a minute later police arrived, Gordon said.

Police taped off a block between 20th to 22nd Street, a creek way running through the neighbourhood and the baseball field below Carson Graham secondary on Thursday morning.

The Integrated Homicide Unit , supported by North Van Serious Crime, are working on the case.

More details to follow.