Surrey homicide victim had been shot once before
22-year-old Pardeep Singh was linked to gang life, was also shot and wounded in 2015
A young Surrey man with gang links is the latest to die in a targeted murder.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Wednesday that Pardeep Singh, 22, was shot to death in the driveway of his Cloverdale home Tuesday night.
“Mr. Singh was known to police, and was associated to gangs. Investigators are working to determine motive, but believe that Mr. Singh’s murder was targeted,” Cpl. Meghan Foster said in a news release.
Singh’s gang activity came to light when he was shot and wounded in March 2015, during a spree of heavy gang activity that saw six shootings over a two-day span. He refused to co-operate with police after the incident and was named by police as an associate of three of the other men involved in the shootings.
“These people are clearly violent and have shown a complete disregard for public safety,” then-Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said at the time.
Violence erupted again Tuesday evening, this time costing Singh his life.
Staff Sgt. Dale Carr said that police responded to reports of a shooting in the 6300-block 166 Street at about 8:45 p.m.
“Once officers were on scene, they discovered a deceased male in a vehicle on the driveway of his home,” Carr said.
Investigators are now looking for a suspect vehicle, a light-coloured minivan, that fled the area after the shooting occurred, Carr said, adding that investigators are conducting neighbourhood canvassing and speaking with witnesses to obtain further information.
Former solicitor general Kash Heed, a longtime Vancouver cop, says he was not surprised by the latest shooting.
“I think the community needs to be alarmed,” he said.
“This violence has continued for quite a period of time, it will continue for a period of time until people start to realize that they’ve had enough and a comprehensive strategy is put in place and people are held accountable to make sure we’re dealing with the violence once and for all,” he said.
Until that strategy is implemented, Heed said, “these unfortunate murders will continue to take place and the public will be at risk.”
“The problem we have right now is the fact that when we do take out an individual, whether it’s through law enforcement plying investigative techniques or whether its another gang taking out an individual like it appears we had in Cloverdale (Tuesday) night, the void is so easily filled.”