Man charged in Mount Pleasant convenience store shooting

A man has been charged after a convenience store employee was shot in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood last week.

Vancouver Police said officers were called shortly after 7 a.m. on Sept. 6 to a store near Main Street and 16th Avenue, where a man reported being shot in the leg.

Mohammad Ali, a longtime employee at the store, told Global News he was behind the counter when the store buzzer sounded and a man he recognized entered. Ali said he had seen the same man arguing with his boss over a taxi about three hours earlier, when Ali arrived for his morning shift.

According to Ali, the man asked where the people chasing him were and appeared to have a gun concealed under his jacket. Ali said he initially did not believe the weapon was real, but a shot was fired seconds later. He said he called 911 while bleeding, then ran outside, where bystanders came to help.

A GoFundMe campaign identified Ali as the victim. He was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Vancouver Police Department Major Crime detectives reviewed CCTV footage and identified a suspect. Later that day, Kamloops RCMP reported that the suspect had been taken into custody in Kamloops on an unrelated matter.

The BC Prosecution Service approved charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon against Victor Sorensen-Avila. Police allege Sorensen-Avila had a gun when he was arrested in Kamloops on Sept. 6. He also faces charges of possessing a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, possessing a firearm without a licence or registration, carrying a concealed weapon or prohibited device with ammunition, careless use or storage of a firearm, and breaching a release order.

Police said the 32-year-old had been released from custody on Aug. 15 after being charged with assault with a weapon in connection with an alleged incident in East Vancouver the previous day. Crown counsel is applying to revoke his bail on that unrelated charge. He remains in custody in Kamloops awaiting a bail hearing.

Const. Darren Wong said gun violence in a busy neighbourhood such as Mount Pleasant is deeply concerning, but police quickly identified a suspect who remains in custody. Police do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.

Ali is recovering at home with his wife and three young children. The H&Z Market employee of 20 years said a doctor told him he was fortunate because the bullet entered and exited his right leg without touching his left limb. Ali said he does not understand why he was shot and does not want the suspect to harm anyone else.