Concerns of retaliation after gangster gunned down outside wedding
A well-known gangster was shot and killed outside a banquet hall in South Vancouver Sunday, sparking concerns his associates may seek revenge.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. at Fraser View Banquet Hall, which confirmed to CTV News it was hosting a wedding at the time.
“We know there was an event at that banquet hall. Despite this being a targeted incident, a gang-related incident, this was very concerning – any innocent bystander could’ve been in the crossfire,” Vancouver Police Department Const. Tania Visintin told CTV News.
Police did not identify the victim and have remained relatively tight-lipped on the investigation.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., the provincial anti-gang agency, confirmed to CTV News the victim was 28-year-old Amarpreet Samra.
Samra had been part of public warnings in 2021 and in 2022, in which the CFSEU-BC identified specific gang members believed to be linked to recent violence and advised people they were putting themselves in danger by associating with the men.
“There is the possibility that there is somebody from a rival gang in the near vicinity who may be looking for an opportunity to take an act of violence,” CFSEU-BC Sgt. Brenda Winpenny said in May 2021.
Another man in the 2021 public warning, Meninder Dhaliwal, was shot and killed in a brazen daylight shooting in Whistler July 2022.
Rob Gordon, a criminologist at SFU, said this illustrates the accuracy of the police warnings but also their limitations.
“You can’t ostracize somebody for a long period of time – it’s impossible to do that. The only way that this fellow could’ve avoided being shot at is to leave town,” Gordon said.
In 2015, when Samra was 21 years old, he was charged with attempted murder for a shooting at Strawberry Hill Elementary.
A few years later, when he was 25, he was accused of kidnapping someone and there was a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
Gordon believes the public warnings are an indication Samra may have been on a hit list for some time.
“That is the function of the long-term memory of people involved in these conflicts, they don’t give up until they get to their target,” he said.
Now, there are concerns that Samra’s associates will fire back.
“We know this happens time and time again. When there is a targeted shooting of this nature in the B.C. gang conflict, we know retaliation will occur. All of this is very concerning and it definitely puts the public at risk,” Visintin said.
Anyone with information on the latest shooting is asked to contact the VPD’s homicide unit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.