The possibility of retaliation following Thursday's brutal early-morning shootings in an East Vancouver restaurant is a worry, Vancouver police say.

"We are very concerned about a retaliation — about a retaliatory act," Deputy Chief Doug LePard told reporters Friday morning.

Investigators work in the entrance of the restaurant that was the scene of an overnight shooting on Thursday.
(Sam Leung/Canadian Press)

At about 4:30 a.m. Thursday two masked men entered the Fortune Happiness Restaurant on East Broadway near Fraser Street and opened fire on a group of patrons seated at a single table.

Two men were killed and six were sent to hospital. LePard said police believe the shooting is gang related.

"We have our specialty members, like in our gang crime unit and in our criminal investigations section, who are very much focused on doing what they can to reduce tensions out there," he said.

On Thursday police said they were looking for several persons of interest in connection with the shooting, but LePard said Friday they still have no suspects in custody.

Police also released more details about the six survivors, all of whom remain in hospital.

A man, 26, is in critical condition, while another man, 22,  and a woman, 19, are in serious condition. A man, 28, and two women, 18 and 19, are in stable condition.

The slain men, aged 19 and 26, were of Asian descent, police said Thursday. Police said both men were known to them. Police have not said whether the surviving victims were known to them.