Man pleads guilty to attempted murder in the Downtown Eastside

A suspect has pled guilty this week after an extensive Vancouver Police investigation of attempted murder last year.

“Investigators believe that this gang shooting was in relation to control of the drug trade in the downtown eastside,” says Constable Tania Visintin, VPD.

Joseph Bassett, 30, has pled guilty to two counts of attempted murder, one count of unlawful possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, one count of breach of a firearms prohibition order, one count of assault with a weapon, and one count of aggravated assault.

The shooting occurred on September 22, 2019 near East Hastings and Abbott streets.

That evening, officers responded to three shootings in the Downtown Eastside over a 15-hour period that sent four people to hospital with injuries. Bassett is expected back in court later this month.