Indo-Canadian shot dead in targeted killing in Canada
Canadian police have identified an Indo-Canadian as the victim of what it believes was a targeted killing in the province of British Columbia.
Canadian police have identified an Indo-Canadian as the victim of what it believes was a targeted killing in the province of British Columbia.
Just after 5pm on Saturday, officers of the Burnaby detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP responded to a report of shots fired and upon arriving at the scene, discovered a man in a parkade. He was found deceased. The investigation of the murder was handed over to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT. On Sunday, IHIT identified the victim as 29-year-old Gagandeep Sandhu, a resident of Abbotsford.
A release from the IHIT said the identity of the victim was being released in the hope of furthering their investigation. Sandhu had been gunned down while sitting in a vehicle in an underground parking lot. In their release on Saturday, Burnaby RCMP noted they believed the shooting was “targeted” and there was no further risk to the public. This was confirmed by the IHIT a day later, as its statement noted, “Initial evidence suggests this was a targeted shooting, though the motive remains unclear.”
About 15 minutes after the murder was discovered, police were also alerted to a report of a vehicle burning about six kilometre away. Setting afire a vehicle used in a crime, particular a targeted killing, has bene part of the modus operandi of gangs operating in what is called the lower Mainland area of BC. However, investigators have yet to confirm whether Sandhu’s murder was linked to the ongoing gang warfare in the region.
They also did not confirm whether the killing and the burnt black Honda Pilot SUV were connected. IHIT spokesperson Sgt Timothy Pierotti said, in a statement, “IHIT is working closely with the RCMP’s forensic experts to process both scenes and to determine if they are related.”
