Police say two teenagers from Surrey, B.C., are dead in an apparent targeted shooting related to an ongoing gang conflict.
A statement from Sgt. Freda Fong with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says those killed on Sunday were 16 and 18 years old, both male, and "the shooting has left two families grieving the loss of young lives taken far too soon."
The double shooting is part of a spate of violence that Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called "unacceptable and deeply troubling" for local residents.
She issued a statement saying recent shootings have left three people dead, with two others in critical condition in the Metro Vancouver city.
Locke says she has written to the Surrey Police Board calling for a review of a decision to redeploy members of the force's gang unit elsewhere last month.
Surrey Police Chief Constable Norm Lipinski says that addressing gun violence and organized crime remains a paramount concern for the service and though the department temporarily repurposed its eight-person Gang Enforcement Unit to support a citywide response to recent extortion cases, some members "remain engaged in gang-related policing."
Lipinski says the plan is for gang unit to return to their regular duties in mid-June when the next class of officers are deployed.
“It is also important to note that SPS has been transparent and consistent about the resourcing pressures facing our organization as a result of the extortion crisis and the accelerated transition timeline," he says in a statement.
The Surrey Police Service officially became the police of jurisdiction in the city in 2024, replacing the RCMP.
The homicide investigation team said Monday that it was searching for the occupants of a grey four-door sedan found burned shortly after the double shooting Sunday night.
Police said they believed that vehicle was involved in the killings.
Officers with the Surrey Police Service had responded to calls of the shooting in an underground parking lot in the 7000 block of 133B Street at about 10 p.m.
Police say they found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds, and both were pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of first responders.
The vehicle fire was reported in the area of 144 Street and 84 Avenue, and police are asking anyone with dash-camera footage from both locations to contact them.
The homicide investigation team is working with the families of the young victims to understand their activities leading up to the shooting, the homicide team's statement adds.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
