Vancouver senior succumbs to injuries suffered in violent home invasion

Feb 3, 2021 | 11:51 AM

VANCOUVER — Police say an elderly woman has died and two people are under arrest following a violent home invasion on Vancouver’s west side.

A statement from police says 78-year-old Usha Singh died Tuesday.

Investigators believe she was attacked early Sunday by two men who entered her home posing as police officers.

The statement says a 47-year-old man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for unrelated offences was arrested in east Vancouver Tuesday, suffering a serious bite wound from a police service dog in the process.

A 41-year-old man was taken into custody a few hours later near the city’s Downtown Eastside.

Charges have not yet been laid and police say they continue to gather evidence and have served numerous search warrants including at least one in Strathcona Park, where a large tent encampment is located.

Sgt. Steve Addison says the home invasion that led to Singh’s death “struck fear and anxiety in the community.”

“We hope these arrests begin to restore a sense of calm and safety,” Addison says in the statement.

Police also say the Independent Investigations Office, which examines all cases of police-involved death or serious injury, has been informed of the dog-bite injury suffered by the 47-year-old suspect, who was treated and released from hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2021.

The Canadian Press