An innocent man who was trapped between the gunmen and their intended target in a shooting at an Abbotsford gas station on Tuesday night describes the incident as “extreme.”
The man – who, for safety reasons, did not want his name published –was at the drive-thru at the Esso gas station in the 31700 block of South Fraser Way at about 7:30 p.m.
The witness’s green Honda Civic was at the drive-thru window. He and his father were waiting for their order, and there was a black SUV behind them.
A black Chrysler 300 then stopped at the end of the drive-thru lane, and the witness noticed two men in dark clothing with their faces covered.
“Then I saw a gun … Right then and there I ducked.”
The two gunmen were firing their weapons over the top of his Civic while walking towards the SUV. He said the shooters were five feet away from his car at one point. He said he counted approximately 10 gunshots but can’t be certain of the exact number.
“All we heard was a man’s voice yelling, ‘Move! Move! Move!’ And then the vehicle behind us started ramming us and pushed us out of the drive-thru and sped out of there.”
Initially, the witness thought he was going to be attacked – at first, he didn’t notice the SUV behind him – but the ordeal was over within 30 seconds.
“It happened so fast that you didn’t really have time to think. It was extreme,” he said. “I have no reason to be shot at, but that’s what goes through your mind.”
After the shooting stopped, the witness said he sat up and saw the Chrysler 300 leaving the parking lot and noticed spent bullet casings littered over the concrete.
“I’m just thankful that my family wasn’t in the car because normally they would be. I wouldn’t want them to go through that.”
The man who was targeted in the shooting is in hospital recovering but is expected to survive, according to Const. Jody Thomas, media officer for the Abbotsford Police Department.
Police Chief Mike Serr, speaking at the annual Crime is Toast breakfast on Wednesday morning in Abbotsford, said the shooting was targeted, but he did not provide further details.
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