The man killed in a shooting early Sunday morning in Surrey is the nephew of a local politician.
The Leader has confirmed the 22-year-old victim, Arun Paul Singh Bains, is the nephew of Surrey-Newton NDP MLA Harry Bains. A spokesperson from the B.C. NDP said Harry Bains would be spending time with family Monday and would not be available for comment.
Arun Bains was rushed to hospital shortly before 3 a.m. April 19 after being shot near 126 Street and 88 Avenue. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
A dark-coloured, four-door Mazda 3 riddled with bullet holes – believed to be the vehicle Bains was in – remained at the shooting scene Sunday.
The deadly shooting was another in a string of about two dozen gun incidents in Surrey and North Delta in the past month and a half. This is the first one to claim a life and is precisely what police feared would happen.
Last week, Surrey RCMP and Delta Police announced they believed the shooting spree stemmed from a drug turf war between rival groups of Somalian and South Asians. They even took the step of releasing names and photos of men believed to be involved in hopes someone would be able to shed light on their activities.
Though the violence has resulted in several people being injured, the victims have not been cooperative with investigators, often mocking them and telling them they don’t need to get involved.
Following Bains’ death, police now have an additional worry.
“Our deep concern now is that there may be a retaliation incident. We are appealing to those involved in this ongoing dispute to not take any more lives and to understand that this is more than gunplay, it’s murder,” said Surrey RCMP Sgt. Dale Carr.
He urged anyone with information to come forward “before another young person is killed.”
A public forum to discuss the spate of recent shootings is planned for Tuesday evening (April 21) at 7 p.m. Tamanawis Secondary (12600 66 Ave.).
