Police say the man in custody, following a fatal shooting in Surrey Tuesday, has ties to gangs, but the shooting itself doesn’t appear to be “gang motivated.”
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is investigating following the shooting death of a 20-year-old woman in a townhouse in the Guildford area May 4.
Surrey RCMP say officers were initially en-route to a dropped 911 call just before 9 p.m. when police received further calls of shots fired in the 9700-block of 161A Street.
Once on scene, officers found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a release from Surrey RCMP Staff Sergeant Monsef. She was taken to a hospital, but later died.
The suspect, a man, was taken into custody “without incident near the scene,” Monsef added.
Sergeant Frank Jang, with IHIT, said the 20-year-old victim was not known to police.
The suspect, a man in his 20s, is “well-known to police.”
“There’s plenty (information) for the man in custody. There isn’t so much – actually, probably nothing – that we’ve seen for our victim,” said Jang. “We know it wasn’t gang motivated. Yes, he does have ties to gangsters, but we don’t believe the actual homicide was gang-motivated.”
Jang added when officers saw the name of the man in custody, it “immediately jumped out at us as somebody that we knew as having prior interactions with the police.”
Police are still trying to determine the relationship between the man and the victim, he said.
The recent homicide in Guildford is not believed to be gang-motivated.
— IHIT (@HomicideTeam) May 5, 2021
Man in custody is in his 20s and well known to police. 20yo female victim was not.
The townhouse, where the woman was shot, “belonged” to her, IHIT tweeted.
“As far as our man in custody, not sure if that was his official residence,” said Jang.
He said the investigation is still in its early stages, and the motive for the shooting is “unknown at this time.” Officers are still in the neighbourhood, speaking with witnesses for more information.
Anyone with further information who has not already spoken to police is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or solvecrime.ca.
This is the latest in a string of shootings since Saturday (May 1).
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Surrey RCMP Sergeant Elenore Sturko said the Surrey Gang Enforcement Team has increased its numbers within the city.
She implored those involved with gangs to rethink their choices.
“If you are a gang member or associate, your life does not have to end prematurely on a mortuary slab.”
lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com
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