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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.