A 25-year-old Indo-Canadian man was found fatally shot in the province of British Columbia on Sunday, police said, adding the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has identified the victim as Karnvir Singh Garcha, 25, alleged to have been involved in gang activities.
IHIT officials said that at 9.20pm on Sunday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment in the city of Coquitlam responded to shooting incident and upon reaching the spot, responding officers found Garcha suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately began lifesaving measures, however, he succumbed to his injuries.
Garcha had been dropped off at a condo complex minutes before he was fatally shot, police said.
“We are looking to speak with anyone who had contact with Garcha in the days leading up to the shooting, including the driver of the vehicle that dropped him off,” IHIT’s Timothy Pierotti said.
In December last year, Surrey RCMP had issued a public safety warning for Garcha, and 22-year-old Harkirat Jhutty– the two Indo-Canadian men allegedly involved in gang activities.
A release from Surrey RCMP at the time said the warning was being issued due to “a significant threat to the public posed by these individuals through their connection to criminal activity and high levels of violence, police believe that anyone connected to or in proximity to them may be putting themselves at risk.”
{{/usCountry}}A release from Surrey RCMP at the time said the warning was being issued due to “a significant threat to the public posed by these individuals through their connection to criminal activity and high levels of violence, police believe that anyone connected to or in proximity to them may be putting themselves at risk.”
{{/usCountry}}“Due to their association with gang activity, the drug trade, and violent acts such as shootings, these individuals have put themselves, their families, and the community at risk,” the release stated.
Garcha is not the first Indo-Canadian gangster subject to a public alert to have been violently killed this year. In May, 28-year-old Amarpreet Samra was allegedly shot dead outside a banquet hall in Vancouver. Vancouver Police said at the time that investigators believed it was a “targeted shooting related to the ongoing gang conflict.”
In August last year, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit or CFSEU-BC had released a list of 11 individuals linked to gangs, nine of whom were Indo-Canadians, and warned this was being done “due to the significant threat to the public posed by a number of individuals involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict and their ongoing nexus to violence.” Among those listed were Samra and his brother, Ravinder.