VANCOUVER -- Lower Mainland homicide investigators say a man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to two separate, gang-related shootings that occurred more than a year apart.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Friday it has arrested Tyrel Hieu Nguyen Quesnelle for his alleged involvement in the murders of Jagvir Malhi and Randeep Kang.
Malhi, 19, was gunned down on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, at the intersection of Ross and Simpson roads in Abbotsford.
Randeep Kang was killed on Oct. 27, 2017 in Surrey. Investigators said at the time that the 27-year-old Vancouver resident had "known gang associations." Kang and another man were shot on a residential street. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other victim was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries.
Police have described Malhi's death as gang-related since it occurred, but earlier this month, IHIT provided an update on the investigation in which it called him "an innocent victim."
IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Frank Jang said Malhi's friends described him as "the furthest thing from a gangster."
But he did have people in his life who were in gangs, Jang said, describing the young man's death as a warning to those who associate with gang members that they could be putting themselves in danger.
Investigators announced Quesnelle's arrest at a news conference on Friday, saying that months of investigation had led them to connect him to both incidents.
Quesnelle was arrested Friday for the murders of both Kang and Malhi, police said, adding that the BC Prosecution Service has approved first-degree murder charges against him.
While they did not say where Quesnelle was arrested, investigators said the Edmonton Police Service, the Alberta RCMP and British Columbia's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - which deals with gang conflict - were all involved in the arrest.
IHIT says its investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call the IHIT information line at 877-551-4448 or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Tips can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
