A 69-year-old man was shot dead on the doorstep of a home he shared with three generations of his family, including five children, one as young as two years old, neighbours say.
Zenen Cepeda Silva was killed just after midnight on Fraser Street just south of 51st Avenue Sunday. His horrified wife and some of his children stayed in the house next door while police combed the lawn for evidence and dusted for prints.
“They are scared, some of them were crying,” said one neighbour, Omar Mahdaoui. “It’s scary.”
Silva was a former Cuban boxer who spent his days collecting and selling steel for scrap, another neighbour said. He had lived there for about three years, after spending some 17 years in the United States, he said.
The family was friendly and several children’s bicycles could be seen outside. A white pickup truck was piled up with junk likely destined for a scrapyard.
But a minivan also belonging to the family had three windows smashed out, replaced with plastic. The vehicle’s front windshield had what looked to have more recent damage. Out front, a beige sedan had its rear window smashed.
One neighbour, who said he was too scared to give his name, said only the family’s vehicles had been vandalized recently, with other vehicles nearby remaining undamaged.
“I don’t know if or how that plays into this homicide but our investigators will be looking at all possible leads,” said Sgt. Jason Robillard.
Robillard said it appeared that Silva was shot as he walked towards the front of a residence.
A neighbour told reporters they heard shots fired followed by sirens. Shortly after that officers could be seen combing the entrance to the single-level home for evidence.
“This appears to be a targeted incident and there is no evidence to suggest the public is at risk,” Robillard said.
