Victoria police look for potential arson witness
Posted April 22, 2022 12:39 pm.
Last Updated April 22, 2022 12:48 pm.
Police investigating an arson at the home of a Victoria pastor this week have shared video footage of a potential witness driving by.
The fire broke out at the home of Father Yuriy Vyshnevskyy, the pastor of St. Nicolas Ukrainian Catholic Church, at 1 a.m. Wednesday on Caledonia Avenue near Cook Street. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) claims, citing conversations with the pastor, gasoline was poured through the mail slot before the flames broke out.
The UCC wants police to investigate the arson as a hate crime.
Footage released by police shows a light-coloured, possibly white, four-door vehicle driving past the scene moments before the fire was set. The video shared by police first shows the car going by at full speed and then is slowed down to half speed in the hopes it will help someone identify the driver.
Police say the pastor escaped out the front door and the mother was rescued from a ledge by fire crews. One person was taken to the hospital.
“The family’s three daughters had to jump from the second floor. One of the daughters, 11 years old, suffered injuries, had to have surgery and is recovering,” the UCC wrote in an online statement.
The family cat was also found unconscious and sent to a local animal hospital.
A Victoria home was set on fire on Apr. 20, 2022 (Credit: gofundme.com)
If this incident is investigated as a hate crime, Devon Sereda Goldie with the UCC says she would hope it would trigger a “pause” from people who’d consider these kinds of actions.
“If they see that this is taken seriously in Canada, and that it is handled seriously, perhaps they might consider their actions before moving forward. If there is a serious enough punishment for the crime, I would hope that it might deter some of that, though, it is hard to say,” she told CityNews.
The UCC calls Vyshnevskyy a dedicated community leader, who has been working to support the Ukrainian people through Russia’s invasion of that country.
Related article: Victoria arson at pastor’s home could be hate crime, claims Ukrainian Canadian Congress
On Thursday, B.C. Premier John Horgan offered his support to the family.
“We’re with you and we’re here to help,” said B.C. Premier John Horgan.
“The teachings of Father Vyshnevskyy would be about turning the other cheek. It would be about forgiveness and reaching out to those who may well feel hate in their hearts and try and soften that and bring them around to a more holistic way of thinking.”
If you have any information or additional video footage within a two-block radius of the home between midnight at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
An online fundraiser has been launched to support the family. It has raised over $30,000.
With files from The Canadian Press, Kurtis Doering, John Ackermann, and Nikitha Martins
