New video and a photo have been released from the early morning hours of June 5 when chef Wataru Kakiuchi was stabbed and killed near Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood.
Timothy Isborn was arrested in the Downtown Eastside on June 10. He was charged the next day with one count of second-degree murder.
Investigators said they do not believe Isborn and Kakiuchi knew each other.
Vancouver police said the new video of a vehicle is not related to the homicide, but the vehicle was travelling in the area around the time Kakiuchi was killed.
“We have made an arrest in this murder, but the investigation is ongoing and we continue to gather evidence,” Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.
“Whoever was in this vehicle may have important information about the murder, and we’re asking them to come forward.”
Kakiuchi was discovered shortly before 3:30 a.m. on June 5.
Police believe the driver or passengers may have witnessed an altercation between the two men but did not come forward because they were not aware it was related to the homicide.
The video released by police shows a dark SUV travelling south on Main Street at 2:30 a.m. on June 5, and stopping at a red light at Union Street. The vehicle then turned right and drove over the Dunsmuir Viaduct toward downtown.
The occupants of the car, or anyone with information, are asked to contact Vancouver Police Homicide at 604-717-2500.
A still photo from the video of a dark SUV travelling in the area of Main Street and Union Street on June 5.
Vancouver police handout
Kakiuchi, 32, was a chef and longtime employee of Hapa Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant in Yaletown.
“(He) was a really bright, positive person,” said Justin Ault, the restaurant’s owner told Global News in June.
“(He) was the type of person no one could dislike.”
“He was a great musician, a great cook, a great person and friend. He will be sorely missed,” Ault said.
The owner said Kakiuchi was out with other co-workers in Gastown on the night of his death. At the end of the night, Kakiuchi was supposed to catch a taxi home to Burnaby.
