Two people were found dead in a house in a rural area near Vernon at 1:40 a.m. Monday after police received reports of shots fired, spokesman Gordon Molendyk said.
Officers helped two children and an adult relative at the home on Hartnell Road. They were not harmed.
Vernon RCMP are working with the South East Major Crimes Unit and the B.C. Coroners Service on the case, and are treating the deaths as suspicious.
Around the same time in nearby Cherryville, Mounties arrested a man who was driving around with a loaded rifle.
Molendyk says an officer responded to a call about a possible impaired driver when he pulled the vehicle over and saw a rifle leaning on the front seat.
Two passengers were released, but a 34-year-old man is facing impaired driving and firearms charges.
Police are asking anyone who heard shots fired to call them at 250-545-7171.
