B.C. filmmaker killed during altercation with neighbour, RCMP say

Local filmmaker Manbir "Mani" Amar has been identified as the man killed during an alleged altercation between neighbours in Surrey, B.C., earlier this week.

The 40-year-old grew up on Vancouver Island, and went on to direct a number of documentaries, including "A Warrior's Religion," which focused on gang violence within the South Asian community.

Another of his films, "The Decrepit," told the stories of several residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside through their own words.

When he spoke to CTV News in 2011, while working on his self-financed film "Footsteps into Gangland," Amar described how the focus of his work had cost him his sense of security.

"I believe in my heart that I'm doing it for the right reasons. I wouldn't be putting myself in debt, putting my life on the line, if I wasn't, if I was just doing it for notoriety," he said.

Kal Dosanjh, a police detective and founder of the KidsPlay Foundation, described Amar's death as a "significant loss” for the community.

"Mani was a caring individual, who had gone to extraordinary lengths to keep youth away from a life of drugs, gangs and crime. Rest In Peace my friend," Dosanjh wrote on Twitter Thursday.

Surrey RCMP officers found Amar in medical distress after responding to a report of a physical altercation in the city's Newton neighbourhood Wednesday afternoon.

He died shortly after, despite the efforts of emergency responders to provide first aid.

Authorities have not provided any details about the nature of the altercation, but the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team described it as an "isolated incident."

"Tragically this situation escalated to a point where a life was taken," IHIT Sgt. Timothy Pierotti said in a news release.

Officers arrested a suspect at the scene, and said the individual remained in custody as of Thursday afternoon. Charges have yet to be laid.

Authorities asked anyone who witnessed the altercation or has information for investigators to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-4448 or email [e-mail].