Yet another shooting startled Surrey residents on Sunday night, just one hour before a candlelight march protesting the city’s violent crime problem.
Witnesses said four shots rang out around 8 p.m. in the Newton neighbourhood, not far from W.E. Kinvig Elementary School and community activist Doug Elford’s home.
Elford, a member of the Newton Community Association, said one of his sons passed through the shooting scene just 15 minutes before gunfire erupted.
“I’m really emotional about this right now,” he said. “When we talk about safety in Newton, this is exactly what we’re talking about. It’s a very unsafe place to be right now.”
The RCMP said no injuries were reported after the shooting, and that it’s too early to say whether it’s linked to any of the dozens of shootings committed in Surrey and Delta since early March.
The bulk of the shootings involve two groups of low-level drug dealers, according to investigators.
About 15 blocks away from Sunday’s shooting, concerned residents gathered at 9 p.m. for a candlelight peace march.
The organizer said he wanted to raise awareness about the recent gunfire, which has already claimed the life of one young man.
“It is our innate and moral duty to help bring awareness to issues that afflict us,” Mani Amar wrote on the Facebook event page.
Anyone with information on any of the recent shootings is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0201 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
