Surrey police service are investigating an extortion-related shooting after shots were fired outside a residence in the city’s Bear Creek neighbourhood early Saturday morning.
Police say officers were called to the 8600 block of Galway Crescent around 2:20 a.m. on Jan. 17, where they found a home damaged by gunfire.
The residence was occupied at the time, but no one was injured.
Investigators believe the shooting was extortion-related, and the major crime division has taken charge of the investigation.
The incident comes amid a series of extortion-linked shootings and threats in Surrey.
Global news has previously reported on extortion cases involving threats against members of the Indo-Canadian community, raising concerns about organized crime and potential foreign interference. Police have not released details about who was targeted in the latest shooting, or whether the incident involved the Indo-Canadian community.
Story continues below advertisementIn a Global News interview, Wade Diceman, a criminology professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, said the key question now is whether the violence is driven solely by organized crime or something more.
“I think the key point of contention is really whether what we’re seeing is kind of purely extortion-related crime, which is motivated by gang, or whether what we are seeing now is what we would call foreign interference by proxy,” Diceman said.
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Diceman pointed to RCMP intelligence obtained by Global News suggesting potential links between the Bishnoi gang and the Indian government.
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Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.“The access to information request that Global News filed produced a report which shows that the RCMP believes quite strongly that there are some links there. It’s not conclusive, but it’s very strong,” he said. “And that changes the whole tenor and approach necessary to combat something like this, because it’s not a natural crime phenomenon anymore.”
Story continues below advertisementHe said the violence is affecting a broad cross-section of the Indo-Canadian community, not just those tied to political movements abroad.
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“It’s not just folks who are identified with that movement,” Diceman said. “It’s everyday folks in the Indo-Canadian community who are being targeted, successful businesses in particular.”
Diceman also said videos circulating online after some incidents appear intended to intimidate communities.
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“Very clear communication and message to say, ‘This might be you next,’” he said, warning that the situation risks becoming a wider public safety crisis.
He said the response needs to extend beyond law enforcement and be framed as a national issue.
“There’s been a kind of a disappointing willingness to sort of just see this as a problem of the Indo-Canadian community,” Diceman said. “Or no. It’s a problem of the Canadian community.”
Story continues below advertisementSurrey police say the investigation remains in its early stages and are asking anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
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