A man has been charged in the fatal shooting of another man in Burnaby on Saturday evening, RCMP announced at a press conference Monday (May 10).
Ahmed Tahir, 20, has been charged in the homicide of a 19-year-old man in the fatal shooting linked to the Lower Mainland’s ongoing gang violence problem. Another man, who police said was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, was also injured.
Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) Asst. Comm. Manny Mann said Saturday night’s homicide was yet another “brazen daylight shooting.”
Asst. Comm. Dwayne McDonald, head of E Division, spoke to Sunday afternoon’s fatal shooting at Vancouver International Airport.
“The suspects, as they left the scene, were engaged by members of the Richmond RCMP and shot at the responding police vehicles,” he said. “For obvious reasons concerning public safety and the impact that returning fire… the members had to pull back from that pursuit.
He defended Richmond RCMP’s decision to stop pursuing the suspects’ vehicle.
“When criminals commit crimes, they don’t play by the rules. They don’t obey the speed limit, they don’t stop for police and they drive at high, reckless speeds in order to get away,” McDonald said.
— CFSEU-BC (@cfseubc) May 10, 2021
Supt. Dave Chauhan, head of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said that the man killed in the airport shooting was Karman Grewal. Grewal, then 25, was identified by Surrey RCMP in 2017 as a man to avoid for his links to gang conflict.
READ MORE: Surrey RCMP release photos of five intended victims in recent shootings
Mann said he couldn’t get into specifics about which gangs were involved in which recent shootings.
“Over the years as these gang conflicts have continued there’s been more and more groups being formed, which has resulted in more conflict, in more people being involved,” he said, adding that recent years have seen a worrying trend of more youth involved in organized crime.
Mann said the public can expect to see more police activity in some Lower Mainland neighbourhoods.
“If you see any suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighbourhood, that don’t belong, call us,” he said.
McDonald sought to assure residents fearful after days of high-profile violence in their communities. Aside from the two homicides this weekend, there was a shooting May 3 at a mall in Langley that left one victim with life-threatening injuries, as well as the fatal shooting of a BC Corrections officer in Delta on May 1.
And last month, gang member Harpreet Singh Dhaliwal, 31, was killed in Coal Harbour on April 17, Bailey McKinney, 20, was killed in a targeted shooting at a Coquitlam park on April 19 and UN Gang member and former MMA fighter Todd Gouwenberg, 46, was shot dead at the Langley Sportsplex on April 21.
A woman was injured in a shooting in Burnaby on May 2, while another woman was shot dead on May 4 in Surrey .
READ MORE: Solving public shootings a ‘top priority’ for Metro Vancouver police
“We have faced multiple shootings and murders in the last couple days in the Lower Mainland,” McDonald said. He assured residents that all levels of policing are “committed to your safety.”
He said that police chiefs are meeting with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth to talk strategy in the ongoing gang wars. B.C. announced $8.6 million in grants for communities and families dealing with gun and gang violence on Saturday.
READ MORE: Man killed in brazen daylight shooting at Vancouver airport
READ MORE: Police say gang conflict in Metro Vancouver may be behind shooting death at airport
