A Delta man was gunned down in front of his wife and four-year-old son in a Surrey strip mall on Thursday afternoon.
At 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Surrey RCMP were called to a report of shots fired at a mall at 68 Avenue and King George Boulevard.
Jagdip Johal, 37, had been sitting in the passenger’s seat of his parked blue Chrysler Pacifica SUV, when gunmen, who some witnesses say were masked, opened fire through the front window of the vehicle.
He died an hour later in hospital.
Police have not yet determined whether his wife and son were in the vehicle or right beside it.
In either case, police say they witnessed the killing
Johal was known to police, and investigators believe it to be a targeted shooting.
The vehicle, which had at least a dozen bullet holes in the front window, was parked in front of Options Community Services Society.
As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Options was still under lockdown while police searched for the gunmen.
One employee at Options said the staff at the social services agency were extremely shaken up. She said the victim was not an employee of Options, but could not say whether the family was a client.
Police would not say whether they believe it to be gang-related, but described it as targeted and extremely brazen.
“This apparent targeted shooting occurred in broad daylight in a highly populated public area where many businesses are located,” said Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. “The potential for further victims was high and this selfish act of violence is not taken lightly by investigators.”
