The 21-year-old man who was killed Halloween night was gunned down in the doorway of his East Vancouver home, according to police.
The victim, who has been identified as Alexander Julian Liang, was shot in the head at around 10:30 p.m. after answering his back door in the 3200-block of East 6th Avenue.
Police believe the suspect fled down the alley.
Sgt. Randy Fincham said it’s unclear whether the shooting was gang-related, but it does appear to have been targeted.
“The police have had experience with this gentleman before, that forms part of the reason why we believe it was… not a random attack,” Fincham said.
A man with the same name and age as the deceased has been charged with robbery, unlawful confinement and using an imitation firearm in connection with a Dec. 2011 incident in Burnaby.
Paramedics were called to the scene, but Liang was dead before they arrived. His death marks Vancouver’s eighth homicide of 2012.
Police say no suspects have been identified in the shooting and no arrests made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
