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Princeton double murder suspect lived in Langley

John Ike Koopmans charged with killing man and woman on rural property

The man charged in connection with a triple shooting in Princeton March 30 had lived in Langley for many years.

John Ike Koopmans, 49, who now lives in Princeton, is charged with two counts of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder after the bodies of a 44-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were found on a rural property in east Princeton.

A 48-year-old man suffering from several gun shot wounds was also rushed to hospital from the scene. He is now in stable condition.

RCMP said Koopmans was arrested the next day after a lengthy search for him. Police also said the suspect and all three victims were well known to each other. But police said the motive of the alleged killer will come out in the court proceedings.

Koopmans has a criminal past in Langley as well.

In January 2005, Koopmans was charged with assault, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and fear of injury/damage by another person in Langley.

He was convicted for the fear of injury and fined $500. He also had minor traffic infractions here. In February 2010, he was charged with drunk driving in Princeton.

He took the horticulture program at one time at Kwantlen Polytechnic University at the Langley campus. He also went to high school locally.

He makes his next court appearance April 24.

— With files from Kamloops This Week



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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