A man is in hospital after another shooting in Surrey, as this city marks its third shooting incident in five days.
At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 10800-block of 143 Street.
When they arrived, they found a man suffering from non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation is in the early stages, but police are describing it as a targeted shooting.
Tuesday’s gunplay represents Surrey’s 12th shooting incident so far this year, representing a shooting every six and a half days.
On Sunday, March 20, at 6:50 a.m., Surrey RCMP responded to a call of shots fired in the 11000-block of 132 Street. On arrival, police found shell casings at the scene, and evidence showed bullets fired into a home.
No one was hurt, and Mounties say the occupants of the home are known to police.
It comes two days after a shooting in Newton at 144 Street and 92 Avenue.
Shell casings were also found at that scene and police were alerted that a man had arrived at Surrey Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound.
That victim is a 23-year-old from Surrey who is known to police.
Police say that investigation is in the early stages, but they believe it was a targeted shooting.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the shooting is related to previous incidents of gun violence in the Newton area.
The number may be more if a homicide in Newton is determined to be related to a shooting.
Surrey is now outpacing a year of violence in 2015, when there were 47 shootings in the embattled Newton and Whalley area as two rival drug gangs initiated a turf war. That amounted to a shooting almost every week.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann was unable to confirm the number of shootings, but said any shooting is a concern to police.
The public need not be concerned about their own safety, he said, but noted it pays to be vigilant.
“In my experience, people who are not involved in a life of crime, are not likely going to become victims of crime,” Schumann said. “That said, when you have criminals who are violent and seem to have no regard for anyone’s safety, the public should be concerned.”
He said police are using all resources available to put an end to the shootings.
“People should know we’re working around the clock to solve these types of crimes,” Schumann said.
Police analysts are working to determine whether there is another outbreak of violence similar to last year.
So far, police have made no connection between the shootings this year and those that happened in 2015.
“Not to say that the connections aren’t there,” Schumann said. “But we haven’t seen any yet.”
Anyone with further information about the March 18 incident is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit a tip at www.solvecrime.ca
