Delta police are now confirming that one person is dead following a brazen shooting just before 5 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Scottsdale Centre mall in North Delta.
DPD released an update on the investigation just before 11 p.m. Saturday night.
“Despite the best efforts of Emergency Health Services, unfortunately the victim in this incident did pass away,” said Insp. Guy Leeson, head of Investigative Services at Delta Police.
Police are not releasing the victim’s name, or other identifying information as next of kin notifications are still ongoing.
Shortly after the shooting in Delta, Burnaby fire crews responded to a torched vehicle in an alley.
The vehicle was found on fire in the 3700 block of Portland Street, just east of Boundary Road.
A similar vehicle was captured on video earlier in the day at the Scottsdale Centre fleeing the scene.
DPD say they are aware of speculation regarding this vehicle and that it may be linked to this incident, however, DPD say that is not something that they can comment on at this time.
DPD received reports of shots fired at 4:55 p.m. near the Shell gas station at 72nd Ave. and 120th St.
Officers responded immediately and located a male who had been shot.
“Right now the initial evidence is indicating that this was a targeted shooting,” said Leeson. “Officers have been interviewing witnesses in the area, and we are also in possession of video that appears to have been filmed immediately after the incident.”
Police are asking anyone who hasn’t yet spoken to police, and was a witness, has dashcam or CCTV video, to call police at 604-946-4411.
“This shooting took place in a very public manner, and we are very much aware of the possible risk to innocent bystanders,” added Leeson. “Fortunately it doesn’t appear there was anyone else injured during this incident, but we ask those who might have any information to contact police.”
According to DPD, the last homicide that occurred in North Delta was in 2015.
String of targeted shootings
Saturday’s shooting in North Delta is the latest in a string of brazen shootings across the Lower Mainland that investigators say are connected to an ongoing gang war.
Francois Joseph Gauthier faces murder charges linked to a deadly shooting in early April.
Gauthier is accused of killing Harpreet Singh Dhaliwal. The 31-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, after police first responded to calls of shots fired outside Cardero’s restaurant, near Coal Harbour Quay and Cardero Street, around 8:30 p.m. on April 17.
Police said at the time that the shooting appeared to be targeted.
On Monday, April 19, the targeted execution of 20-year-old Bailey McKinney occurred at Coquitlam’sTown Centre Park and then on April 22, police identified Todd Gouwenberg, 46, of Langley as the man shot outside of the Langley Sportsplex just as parents were coming to drop off and collect their children.
During an April 22 news conference, Sgt. Frank Jang, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said his unit had yet to find any links between the two murders, or between McKinney’s death and a spate of shootings across several Coquitlam neighbourhoods in recent months.
-with files from Tri-City News, Vancouver is Awesome and Burnaby NOW
