A body was discovered near the William R. Bennett Bridge last Friday. The victim in last week’s alleged killing near the William R. Bennett Bridge is believed to have been killed by a vehicle. On the afternoon of July 29, a body was discovered in Okanagan Lake near the Shelter Bay Marina on the west Kelowna side of the bridge. At the time, police said the death may have involved criminal activity, and on Aug. 1, Wyne Zablan, 25, was charged with first-degree murder. During a press conference Wednesday, Supt. Kara Triance said a vehicle was used to commit the alleged murder, but did not elaborate. “Our investigators have worked around the clock and have seized the sensitive evidence in this matter and continue to disclose it to the courts,” he said. A death caused by a vehicle can result in criminal charges ranging from careless driving causing death to manslaughter if it was not intentional. The charge of first-degree murder suggests that Friday’s alleged homicide was premeditated and premeditated. According to online court records, Zablan has no prior charges in BC Police were initially unable to identify the victim and investigators asked for the public’s help in identifying the 20-40-year-old man of “Asian descent”. Court documents show police had not yet identified the victim when the murder charge was first filed on Aug. 1, with the charge alleging that Zablan “committed the first-degree murder of an unknown person.” But when Kelowna RCMP announced the charge the next day, they said the victim had been identified and knew Zablan. However, the police are yet to reveal the identity of the victim to the public. Zablan remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Kelowna court on Aug. 29.
