Angus David Mitchell had a Hit List

Murder suspect Angus David Mitchell had a hit list of 10 people and businesses he was planning to target on his killing spree, the RCMP recently announced. However his plans did not materialize as he died in a police shoot-out on May 30.

According to Insp. Kevin Hackett, head of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, they discovered “chilling new evidence” that illustrated Mitchell’s intent to kill and wound more innocent individuals in the Lower Mainland and Victoria if he hadn’t been stopped by police in Maple Ridge on May 30.

“IHIT investigators have examined evidence which clearly indicates Mitchell had plans to target five businesses and five specific individuals in total of which the sushi restaurant and his former landlord were only the first,” Hackett announced at a Surrey news conference on Tuesday.

“Mitchell appears to have spent time gathering information about his intended victims and planning his entry and escape routes from each location.”

Mitchell fatally shot sushi restaurant owner Huong Tran and his employee Chinh Diem Huynh on May 27, then two days later he shot and injured his former landlord. Police tracked Mitchell to Maple Ridge based on a tip by Susanne Murphy, who saw his Ford Aerostar van and called 911. What ensued was a police shoot-out with Mitchell firing at police and he was eventually wounded and died in hospital.

Hackett thanked police forces in various jurisdictions for working together on the Mitchell case and credits Maple Ridge resident Susanne Murphy for calling the police with the tip. He went on to say Mitchell had documents in the van with names, addresses and escape routes for his other targets. In addition, he was armed with a hunting rifle.

The police are investigating Mitchell’s motives, but there is no clear indicator beyond his fragile mental state described as aggressive, hostile and instable by individuals who knew the former security guard over the last several years.

Hackett said while “investigators continue to search for motive, we are not confident we will find one that will make any sense. Of one thing, we are certain, had he not been located when he was, the potential for additional loss of life was extreme.”