Public gang shootings in B.C.: Here’s when and where they happened

Article content

Gang violence has long been a scourge in Metro Vancouver and other communities in B.C. and beyond. A turf war among mid- to high-level drug traffickers and a history of scores being settled is to blame for many public shooting incidents and, tragically, every once in a while an uninvolved bystander is killed.

Here are some of the prominent gang-linked shootings around the Lower Mainland and province in recent months, including nearly a dozen so far this year:

Article content

Article content

March 30, 2024: Shots ring out in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in an alley in downtown Vancouver as people scramble into stores and cafés for cover. A source told Postmedia the target was a man linked to the Brothers Keepers gang.

The targeted black SUV is shot up then lurches out of an alley onto Robson Street between Homer and Richards streets and hits another SUV. Two dogs are rushed to vets with gunshot wounds but there are no other known injuries and no arrests immediately made, says VPD Sgt. Steve Addison.

March 26, 2024: A man is sent to hospital with gunshot wounds after shots are fired on a residential street in the Cloverdale area of Surrey. Reports came in just before 11 p.m. in the 8500-block of Richardson Drive. The injured man is taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.

Postmedia learns the shooting is linked to the botched hit on a Brothers Keepers gangster less than a week later (see above).

Feb. 24, 2024: A man is shot and killed in the parking lot of a Best Western hotel along Highway 1 in Sicamous.

Though police don’t say whether it’s a gang hit, RCMP Staff Sgt. Jason Smart says it is a targeted shooting and that investigators are looking for a “distinct-looking” boxy black Mercedes G-Wagon seen fleeing west on the highway.

Article content

Article content

Feb. 22, 2024: Neighbours are awoken by the sound of automatic gunfire early on a Thursday morning on a quiet White Rock street. Gunmen are seen on surveillance video riddling a black BMW SUV with at least 40 bullets on residential Roper Avenue.

The driver pulls out of the driveway as bullets are still flying then crashes into a nearby tree. Four men are taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Feb. 13, 2024: A man is shot to death in the 800-block of Victoria Street in Prince George, an area of strip malls with a Tim Hortons and White Spot nearby, at about 11 p.m. on a Tuesday.

The killing is targeted and RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper calls the rise in gun violence in the city “concerning.”

Feb. 11, 2024: A man and woman are taken to hospital after being shot in a vehicle outside the Cactus Club Cafe in Coquitlam around closing time on a Sunday night.

A silver Chrysler 200 is found ablaze in Surrey soon after, a hallmark of many B.C. gang-related shootings.

Feb. 2, 2024: A man in a black BMW SUV staggers to the ground and is taken to hospital in Surrey with serious injuries after another SUV briefly stops in front of his vehicle and a passenger fires shots at him.

Article content

The mid-afternoon shooting happens as he is about to pull out of a parking lot in the 8400-block of busy Scott Road before the suspects flee, running a red light in the process. Surrey RCMP investigate a report of a vehicle on fire near the Golden Ears Connector just over half an hour later.

Jan. 23, 2024: A man is killed in a targeted shooting on Kingsway near Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. A few days later police release a victim identity and suspect vehicle but no arrests are made at the time.

Jan. 20, 2024: A known Abbotsford gangster who was due to appear in court the following week is shot and killed on a late Saturday afternoon in the underground parking lot at Seven Oaks Shopping Centre.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says a vehicle is found on fire on Townshipline Road in Abbotsford shortly after.

Jan. 20, 2024: An 18-year-old dies in hospital five days after being shot on a quiet residential street in Maple Ridge.

After the shooting in the 22200-block of 123rd Street, a vehicle is found on fire about three kilometres away near Westview Secondary School.

Article content

Jan. 6, 2024: A 21-year-old Coquitlam man dies in hospital after a shooting at Westwood Street and Glen Drive on a Saturday afternoon. Two suspects are seen running from the scene.

“This was a targeted shooting that happened in a busy area, with no regard for the safety of others,” says IHIT Sgt. Timothy Pierotti. It comes after two other shootings in Coquitlam that week.

Dec. 29, 2023: Two men are charged several days after a shooting in the Guildford area of Surrey. One of the suspects allegedly points a gun at officers while being pursued by police in a blue Range Rover before an arrest is made in neighbouring Langley.

Surrey RCMP Sgt. Tammy Lobb says the Friday afternoon shooting in the area of 101st Avenue and 156th Street is part of the continuing B.C. gang war.

Dec. 7, 2023: A victim with gang ties is left in critical condition after a shooting in a residential Delta neighbourhood on a Thursday afternoon. After the shooting in the 11100-block of 82nd Avenue, a burning vehicle is found in Surrey.

“The recovery of a burning vehicle following a shooting is a hallmark of the recent spate of violence involving the continuing B.C. gang conflict,” says a Delta Police Department spokesperson in a statement. “Shootings are inherently dangerous to the public,” whether they occur in a residential neighbourhood, shopping centre or other public space, and there is always a risk of “unintended victims” being caught in the crossfire, say police.

Article content

Dec. 6, 2023: A 41-year-old man is left in serious condition after a Wednesday evening shooting in the parking lot of a Real Canadian Superstore in Mission. A newish Jaguar SUV is seen fleeing and a vehicle is later found torched in Surrey.

The victim is known to have ties to the regional gang conflict and, though no one else is injured, RCMP Cpl. Harrison Mohr says the shooting was “obviously frightening for other shoppers in the parking lot, many of whom were in the process of loading up groceries into their vehicles before heading home for the night.”

Nov. 30, 2023: A black Ford pickup truck is left riddled with bullets in a shooting in Burnaby, though no victims are found. The midday shooting is just east of Gilmore SkyTrain station not far from Brentwood Mall.

A vehicle is found on fire on Maple Grove Crescent within minutes and the incident is targeted, says Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Mike Kalanj.

With files from Kim Bolan and Postmedia News

jruttle@postmedia.com

Article content