Desi Today Magazine
And sources tell The VOICE that the three suspects arrested in connection with the fatal shooting on Monday (February 20) are also South Asians.
This is reportedly linked to the ongoing Townline Hill conflict between two groups of young South Asians.
Abbotsford Police, however, would not confirm our information because the case is now being handled by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
At 9:40 a.m. the Abbotsford Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting in the 30500-block of Steelhead Court. APD Patrol Division officers attended the scene and located an injured male in his mid-20’s who was suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at scene.
An APD officer observed a suspect vehicle fleeing the area at a high rate of speed. That officer followed the suspect vehicle and attempted to pull it over on Highway 11 and eventually into Mission. The suspect vehicle was disabled with the use of a spike belt and the assistance of the Mission RCMP. Three male suspects were taken into custody.
This investigation is being transitioned to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). Further information and updates will be provided by IHIT. Anyone with information about this incident should call the IHIT Tip Line at 1-877-551-4448 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Chief Bob Rich
Official photo
THE last shooting that occurred in connection with the Townline Hill conflict in Abbotsford was on December 16 when two men sustained gunshot wounds in what police said was a targeted shooting.
(The January 9 shooting in which a South Asian man was shot at in Abbotsford’s Flagman Place was not connected to the Townline Hill conflict.)
The December shooting took place just a few days after Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich had sent letters to parents of all those involved in this deadly conflict, warning: “If he stays involved in gangs, he is at serious risk of being killed. As a member of one of these gangs, your son’s actions are causing other people to die. In addition, if you have other younger sons in your house, experience has shown us that they are at risk of being pulled into gangs by their older brother.”
At 7:45 p.m. on December 16, Abbotsford Police received a call alerting them to possible shots fired in the 33200-block of Walsh Avenue. Patrol officers were unable to locate a victim. However, an area search was conducted and evidence located to confirm a shooting had occurred.
Police said that evidence gathered indicated that a vehicle and its occupants were targeted in the shooting incident. The same vehicle arrived at the hospital and two of the occupants had gunshot wounds. One of the males was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital last night, the second male remained in hospital in stable condition with serious injuries.
Rich in his letter to parents pointed out: “Since 2014, there have been a large number of shootings and violence between two rival gangs. Most of the violence has been in the Townline Hill area of our City. Members of these gangs are trying to kill each other. As of today, five people have been murdered. One of those people was an innocent bystander. Another of the five was an 18 year old boy. A leader of one of the gangs was recently arrested for murder and may spend the next 25 years in jail. These two gangs are fighting over who gets to sell illegal drugs in Abbotsford. The drugs they are selling are killing many other people in Abbotsford because the people that use these drugs are dying from overdoses.”
ON January 11, Navdeep Sidhu, 24 and Harman Mangat, 22, both B.C. residents, were found shot to death in Southeast Edmonton and spokespersons for both Abbotsford Police and CFSEU-BC confirmed to the media at the time that they were connected to the Townline Hill conflict.
Detectives believed that these drug-related murders were connected with drug activity in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
The two men were found dead in a running, white Dodge Ram truck with B.C. plates on 39 Street, near Charlesworth Drive, by a member of the public.
– RATTAN MALL
