Police executed a search warrant at a Willoughby home Wednesday evening in the hunt for wanted murder suspect Brandon Nathan Teixeira.
He was charged on Sept. 6 with first-degree murder in the shooting of Nicholas Khabra in Surrey in October 2017.
On Sept. 14, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) announced police were searching for Teixeira.
Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team (ERT) and members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) along with the RCMP helicopter and Vancouver Police were seen in the 7300-block of 202A Street, late Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re focusing our efforts on the Lower Mainland,” said IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang. “We still believe he’s here.”
But IHIT has also said Teixeira has connections to Edmonton and Calgary, and has appealed to residents in those communities to be on the lookout for the murder suspect.
The area around the Langley home was cordoned off Sept. 19 and heavily armed law enforcement officers were on scene as ERT members went into a home. Three people who were in the residence were seen in handcuffs briefly before being released from custody, according to a witness.
But Jang said the residence remains of interest to the police.
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“IHIT continues to actively track down Brandon Teixeira as he poses a danger to the safety of the community. It is imperative that we find him and bring him before the court so that he can be held accountable for his first-degree murder charge,” Jang said. “We remind the community to please call 911 immediately if you see Brandon Teixeira.”
IHIT announced on Sept. 6 a first-degree murder charge against Teixeira, in connection with Khabra’s death. He was found dead Oct. 23, 2017, when Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 14300-block of Crescent Road at 2:10 a.m.
They found Khabra suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to hospital where he later died.
Soon after the initial report, police received a call from a woman who said she had also been shot.
The second victim was found at Exit 10 of Highway 99, off King George Boulevard, and was taken to hospital, where she was treated for injuries and was expected to recover.
At the time of the shooting, the woman – who has not been publicly identified – was said by police to be known to Khabra, and that they believed she was with him when the shooting occurred.
IHIT said last year that the investigation had led them to believe that Khabra’s homicide was a”targeted act.”
Teixeira was the subject of a manhunt in South Surrey’s Country Woods neighbourhood on Sept. 5. At that time, Jang said the 27-year-old is “believed to be extremely violent and poses a significant risk to public safety.”
Teixeira is 5 ft. 10 in. (178 centimetres) tall, and weighs about 160 lbs. (73 kilograms). He is Caucasian with brown eyes and hair, and has a snake tattoo on the left side of his chest and a sleeve tatto on his left arm.
Anyone spotting Teixeira is advised to immediately call 911. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is aksed to call the IHIT tipline at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
