Police are investigating a fatal shooting in a Whalley alley near 96 Avenue and 130 Street after a man was found “unresponsive” in the driver’s seat of a white Ford Edge SUV late Sunday afternoon.
Police were called to the scene at 5:07 p.m. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken conduct of the case. The victim was pronounced deceased at hospital. His name has not been released.
“Police are investigating whether a burnt out vehicle located a short time later in the area of 8200-block of 151A Street is connected to the homicide,” Surrey RCMP Sgt. Tammy Lobb said. “No suspect description is currently available, and police are looking for any witnesses or those with dash camera footage from the area, to contact police.
Investigators are asking anyone with information who has not already spoken to police to contact the IHIT Information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
This is Surrey’s seventh homicide case so far in 2023.
Police have yet to identify a suspect in the June 18 murder of Sikh temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, who was shot dead in the parking lot of Newton’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara, in the 7000-block of Scott Road.
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Likewise, a suspect has yet to be identified in the death of Shawn Clarke, 49, whose body was found in a Whalley alley on May 10 near 103A Avenue and Old Yale Road, and in the shooting death of Jayden Prasad, 20, who was killed in a strip mall parking lot in Guildford, in the 14800-block of 108 Avenue, on May 2.
Ethan Bespflug, 17, died in hospital after being stabbed on April 11 while riding the Route 503 bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard. Kaiden Mintenko, 20, of Burnaby has been charged with second-degree murder in Bespflug’s death and his next appearance in Surrey provincial court is set for Aug. 1.
Aren Alexander Smith, 38, was shot dead in the 2300-block of 167A Street in South Surrey on March 13 and to date police have not identified a suspect.
On Jan. 9, the bodies of Xiao Yan Zhen, 56, Li Li, 58, and Daniel Li, 24, were found inside their family home at 15636 112 Ave. in Fraser Heights.
In 2022, Surrey had 22 homicides, in 2021 there were 10, and in 2020 there were 12. In 2019, Surrey had 21 homicides, in 2018 there were 15 and the most the city recorded in any given year was 25 in 2013, breaking the previous record of 21 in 2005.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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