Targeted gang shooting in Surrey
Posted Aug 16, 2011 10:32:16 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – Less than 48 hours after Jonathan Bacon was gunned down in Kelowna, Mounties say a shooting last night in Surrey targeted a couple of men with well-known gang connections.
Around 10:40 p.m. RCMP were flooded with tons of 911 calls about shots being fired at 101 Avenue and 153rd Street.
The main concern for neighbours is whether this targeted shooting is connected to Bacon’s death. “It’s too early to tell and definitely investigators will be looking at that,” says Inspector Randall Marquardt.
He adds two or three people and a car were shot at last night. The victims, who have gang affiliations, have minor injuries and are being interviewed by police.
“With what’s going on in the Lower Mainland, I think all the police agencies are vigilant and we’ll continue to do so as we move through the next few weeks,” adds Marquardt.
No arrests have been made as the gunman ran off. Mounties are asking for any witnesses to give them a call.
‘The Wolfpack’
New details about Sunday’s shooting in Kelowna suggest some of the gang members in the targeted SUV in Kelowna were in the process of a super gang.
In “The Hangover” Zach Galifianakis’ character forms a bond with his friends and dubs them “The Wolfpack.”
Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Bolan says the loosely aligned gang of Red Scorpion Jonathan Bacon, Hells Angel Larry Amero and James Riach who was linked to the Independent Soldiers, took up the new name.
“These three organizations and these three individuals had formed a new criminal alliance. And all three of those guys were in the vehicle that was targeted.”
Riach is believed to be the man who was injured in the shooting, but took off before Mounties arrived.
Public shootings
It’s something we’ve seen many times, deadly shootings in public places.
“One is that they want to instill fear among gangsters that are their rivals, that they are coming for you and it doesn’t matter where you are, you’re not safe,” says Bolan.
She also believes, “It could be a crime of opportunity. They know these guys are there. They know they can race in and race out relatively quickly. And quite frankly, if you’re wearing a mask, who’s going to be able to identify you in the future?”
Bolan adds that while we might think it would be easy to catch someone involved in an attack in a public setting, that’s not always the case.
City reputation
The killing has not tainted Kelowna’s reputation. Catherine Frechette with Tourism Kelowna says only a few out-of-towners have come to them with concerns.
However, she says many businesses have been opening their doors to help people deal with the shock of the shooting. “I think it also has the effect of bringing people together and to share a not so great experience, but at the same time giving people that sense of community.”
She feels most people understand that it was not a random incident.
