The victim of Thursday's brazen daytime B.C. mall shooting was linked to a well-known criminal gang, according to Vancouver Police.
Police say Rakesh Ratnam Naidu, 34, is connected to the Independent Soldiers gang.
Naidu was gunned down in the parking garage of the Oakridge Centre mall on West 41st Avenue Thursday afternoon, in what is being called a targeted hit.
Police are hunting for three men in connection with the shooting.
A black male and an Asian male were seen fleeing the area.
Police have seized evidence they believed was tossed out of a getaway car near the intersection of 42nd Avenue and Ontario Street. They are looking for an older model two-door Reliant K car, possibly dark red or burgundy.
Witnesses from the scene reported hearing as many as 20 gunshots, according to Const. Tim Fanning.
When police arrived they found Naidu had been shot. Emergency crews tried to revive him, but he was died from his injuries on the way to hospital.
Police say Major Crime Homicide detectives are interviewing witnesses who were in and around the area at the time of the shooting, including seizing any video from the area.
This is Vancouver's 16th homicide of the year.
If you have any information that could help police, please call VPD Homicide Investigators at 604-717-2500, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)
