Surrey RCMP are investigating the shooting of a 34-year-old man in the Clayton area, near 192 Street and 72 Avenue, late Wednesday afternoon.
The incident took place less than a kilometre west of the Langley-Surrey border.
A man driving a gray minivan was apparently targeted by one or more shooters near a home at 192A Street and 72A Avenue at about 3:30 p.m. He managed to get out of the van and stagger towards a nearby pizza restaurant, D-Hut Pizza, on 192 Street. Witnesses said he was screaming for help.
He made it as far as the parking lot of the restaurant. Ambulance and police officials arrived quickly and the man was taken to hospital. Police said Thursday that he suffered a wound to his hand, and is not being co-operative with them. He is known to police.
There were numerous police officers on scene by 5 p.m. and an area of the parking lot, as well as a nearby walkway and the driveway of a home where the man’s minivan was parked, were all cordoned off by police tape.
Subjects of interests have been identified and the Surrey RCMP serious crime unit, with the assistance of the Lower Mainland’s Integrated Forensic Identification Section (IFIS), is currently investigating.
Based on early findings of the investigation, officers believe this to be a targeted incident.
Surrey firefighters were called to the scene later in the evening, and hosed down the areas where blood had been spilled, once the police on-scene investigation was concluded.
Because the incident took place just before Vancouver TV stations air their evening news broadcasts, a number of helicopters were hovering over the scene to provide TV footage. The noise of helicopters was almost constant in the neighbourhood from 5 to 6 p.m.
The area where the shooting took place is in an area of standalone homes, many with suites and carriage houses, as well as townhouses. A nearby park is a popular gathering place for families.
Anyone with more information who has not already spoken to police 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 www.solvecrime.ca.
