Police hoping photos jar memories of witnesses to fatal double shooting
Vancouver police have released new information about a gangrelated double murder a year ago that left a young bystander dead.
On Friday, the VPD released a photo of a vehicle that police allege was involved in the Jan. 13, 2018 shooting, a red Pontiac Montana.
Kevin Whiteside, 23, and Alfred Wong, 15, were shot and killed at East Broadway Avenue and Ontario Street near the Indochine Kitchen and Bar.
Investigators believe that Whiteside was there planning to kill a 28-year-old Vancouver resident and rival gangster, Matthew Navas-Rivas, who was at the Indochine restaurant with a female companion.
As the two left the restaurant, a second person opened fire and Whiteside was hit and later died in hospital.
The gunfire also struck Wong, who was in a vehicle with his family driving through the area. He died two days later in hospital after family decided to take him off life support.
Wong was described by friends as a polite, respectful, churchgoing boy with a bright future. The Pinetree Secondary School student was a gifted student, who liked basketball and was a competitive swimmer and a volunteer lifeguard.
Navas-Rivas was not hurt that night, however, police said he was murdered on July 15, 2018, in Vancouver.
Investigators have seized the red Pontiac Montana. They have also found video of a dark pickup truck turning into the crime scene at the time of the killings, and officers would like the occupants to contact them.
Sgt. Mike Heard, a commander with VPD homicide detectives, said they have made progress on the case but they are releasing the photo because they know there are people with important information about the deaths who have chosen not to talk to investigators.
“We are asking them to do the right thing and contact us now,” he said.
Anyone who may have information is asked to contact detectives at 604-717-0515 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
At the time of the shooting, police called the gang violence between rival groups in the Lower Mainland the worst the province had experienced in a decade.
Whiteside, a Vancouver drug dealer, had a criminal past dating back to 2013. He spent time in jail for assault with weapon, and later possession for the purpose of trafficking.
We are asking them (potential witnesses) to do the right thing and contact us now.
SGT. MIKE HEARD, Vancouver police