There’s evidence to suggest a man who was gunned down in Surrey over the weekend was not the intended shooting target, police revealed Monday.
The deceased, who has been identified as 28-year-old Jatinder “Michael” Sandhu, and another man were shot Saturday night on 90A Avenue.
Police believe the shooting was targeted and linked to the ongoing drug turf war in the city, but have confirmed neither of the victims are actually involved in the conflict.
“Evidence and information obtained thus far suggests the victims may not have been the intended targets,” the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a release.
Neither Sandhu nor the other victim has a criminal record. The survivor remains in hospital but is expected to make a full recovery.
IHIT Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound said people should be aware that just because they’re not directly involved in the criminal lifestyle, that “does not mean you’re immune to the associated risks.”
“If you have friends or family members involved in this lifestyle, you could very well become inadvertent collateral damage to these violent disputes,” Pound said in a statement.
IHIT said investigators are continuing to work with Surrey RCMP on the case, and asked anyone with information to come forward.
