Alleged killer of gangster shown in surveillance video
Vehicle driven by suspect was recovered last week in Kelowna
Homicide investigators are trying to identify a man clearly featured in surveillance video and photographs seconds before the brazen daylight murder of Birinderjeet Bhangu in Surrey last week.
Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound showed how close members of the public were to the targeted execution in a parking lot outside the Comfort Inn Hotel in the 8200 block of 166th Street on March 13.
Bhangu, 29, is a well-known gangster with links to some of the recent violence in the Lower Mainland. He had a criminal record dating back more than a decade, which included driving offences, property crimes and drug trafficking.
The suspect in his murder is dressed all in black with his face uncovered. He was driving a Nissan Pathfinder that was recovered in Kelowna on March 14.
Pound said it is rare to have such clear images of a murder suspect.
“A big important piece to that puzzle right now is asking for the public’s help in telling us who that suspect is,” she told reporters Friday.
She was asked about the risk to the general public with the mid-afternoon slaying.
“It was a very, very busy day, and there is an arena right across the street, so there is kids and families frequenting this area morning and night. The fact that this occurred at two o’clock in the afternoon is just a brazen attack,” Pound said.
“To answer the question of is the public safe, you can see that he wasn’t aiming at the public, but you can see that anyone can fall victim to the flagrant disregard that this individual showed that day.”
She said witnesses in the area fully cooperated with police.
“We actually get a lot of assistance from the public in cases like this, and it is simply for this reason: when somebody feels that it is their right to go into a public place and put other people at risk for their sole purpose — a selfish, senseless purpose — of taking somebody else’s life, people get outraged. We know that people want to come forward and help,” Pound said.
“And in cases like this that it’s so obvious and in your face that the public was at risk, even those entrenched in this lifestyle will tend to want to come forward and give information.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact IHIT investigators at 1-877-551-4448. Here’s the timeline of the murder: — Bhangu was driving an Acura MDX and pulled into a parking spot in front of the hotel at 2:22 p.m.
— The suspect was driving a Nissan Pathfinder and was backed into a parking spot close by.
— At 2:23 p.m., the suspect exits his vehicle and approaches Bhangu from the driver’s side of the vehicle.
— While approaching the vehicle, the suspect begins shooting at 2:24 p.m.
— The suspect ran back to his vehicle and fled the parking lot westbound, making a right turn onto Fraser Highway.
— The Nissan Pathfinder, driven by the suspect, was recovered in Kelowna the following day, March 14.