UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
Vancouver police have taken the rare step of naming six alleged gang members after a series of public shootings, saying investigators don't expect the conflict to subside.
Vancouver police took the unusual step Monday of releasing the names and photographs of six gangsters they say are putting the public at risk because of their involvement in recent gang violence.
Chief Adam Palmer said the force consulted lawyers before making the extraordinary public outing of Hells Angel Damion Ryan, Brothers Keepers siblings Barinder and Meninder Dhaliwal, brothers Harjit and Garinder Deo, and Ekene Anigbo of the Kang/ Red Scorpion group.
“The photos that we're releasing today represent those who pose significant public safety risks here in the City of Vancouver,” Palmer said. “They not only pose a risk to their friends, families and acquaintances, but they also pose a risk to people who don't even know them … every time they go to the gym, they go shopping, they go to the grocery store, a restaurant, or a bar.”
He said that in all six cases, it is “highly likely” that a rival gangster will try to target them with extreme violence. “And we know these violent acts are happening brazenly in public places in broad daylight in crowded areas,” he said.
Palmer said police across the Lower Mainland are aware of conflicts involving several crime groups that have resulted in a recent spike in violence. “There have been 20 gang-related homicides in Metro Vancouver in 2021, and 20 attempted murders. Police are expecting the violence to continue and escalate.”
Ryan, a Hells Angel who is also part of the Wolf Pack, was targeted by a hitman at Vancouver airport in 2015, but escaped injury when the man's gun jammed. He was also shot in December 2010 at an Oak Street restaurant. He denied any involvement in the current gang conflict in a series of messages sent to Postmedia on Monday.
The Dhaliwal Brothers have both been shot before. They were with middle brother Harb when he was shot and killed in an execution in Coal Harbour on April 17.
The Deo brothers, who are considered independents on the gang scene, lost their brother Sukh, a Wolf Pack member, to a targeted shooting in Toronto in 2016.
Anigbo, known as rapper Lolo Lanski, is associated to the Kang group, but not a member. He has called out Brothers Keepers member Naseem Mohammed through live Instagram videos.
Palmer said his “greatest concern right now, related to the ongoing gang violence, is that an innocent bystander will be hurt or killed during a shooting targeting a gangster.”
“We have seen that happen before in this city. I want people in Vancouver to know the faces and take whatever steps they need to keep their distance from these individuals,” he said, adding that there are many more players of concern in the Lower Mainland gang conflict.
VPD also formed a new task force last week to combat escalating gang violence, Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson said. Task Force Threshold will provide all front line patrol officers with regular briefings on the gang conflict as it evolves and about any gangsters believed to be residing in or visiting Vancouver, said Wilson.
Deputy Chief Howard Chow said that street-level officers are increasing their presence in areas frequented by gangsters. “To be frank, I want to make it really uncomfortable for these gangsters here in Vancouver.”
Palmer said that while none of the six men identified on Monday are currently wanted, several are subjects of ongoing investigations. Some, but not all, have criminal records.
Ryan pleaded guilty in Vancouver provincial court in 2016 to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one of possession of stolen property.
Anigbo is before the courts on several charges: an assault count dating back to September 2019 in Port Coquitlam, as well as three counts of breaching conditions after earlier convictions in Vancouver of carrying a prohibited device, possessing a firearm without a licence, and uttering threats.
Barinder Dhaliwal has a conviction for possessing a firearm. Harjit Deo was convicted in a 2005 gangland kidnapping. The victim was held in the garage of the Deo family home in New Westminster, where police later arrested Garinder and other family members, but they weren't charged.
The VPD is not the first B.C. police agency to release photos of targeted gangsters in the name of public safety.
Surrey RCMP released similar photos in both 2015 and 2017. Several of the gangsters featured have since been shot dead, including Karman Grewal, who was gunned down at the airport on May 9.