Whitehorse RCMP and the Yukon’s coroner say the sudden death of a 35-year-old man in the downtown area on the weekend is not considered suspicious.
Byron Kodwat, 35, was found dead in the alley behind All-West Glass, near the Salvation Army on Saturday morning, said Sgt. Don Rogers.
“We had an unfortunate sudden death downtown. The person frequented the Salvation Army,” he said.
Yukon coroner Sharon Hanley is investigating Kodwat’s death.
“There’s no suspicion of foul play whatsoever,” she said. “It could be hypothermia, but we’ll check it out.”
Meanwhile, Whitehorse police are also investigating a drive-by shooting at a Range Road home on Saturday evening.
“It’s not believed to be a random act,” said Rogers. “It’s targeted therefore we don’t believe the public is in any danger.”
Two adults and a child were in the home at the time. “Nobody was hurt, thankfully,” said Rogers.
Police believe that the shooter and occupants know each other, said Rogers. Beyond that, they’re remaining tight-lipped.
The name of the side street off the north end of Range Road is not being released either. Police say they want to deter residents from rubbernecking at a crime scene.
The RCMP’s forensics team have recovered bullets from inside the house, but police aren’t disclosing how many shots are believed to have been fired. Nor are they offering descriptions of the getaway vehicle or firearm.
“We don’t want to be tipping our hand for any evidence we have at this time,” said Rogers.
“We have some good leads we’re following, some persons of interest. Hopefully we can bring this to a speedy resolution.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to phone the RCMP at 667-5555.
Contact John Thompson at johnt@yukon-news.com