Two months ago, the Vancouver Police announced the creation of a special task force to attack gang violence.
Officers in clearly marked jackets patrolled the beat outside bars, restaurants and other locations where gangsters are known to hang out.
But in the case of Saturday's brazen double murder, where organized criminals are determined to carry out a targeted hit, how effective can a gang unit be?
The VPD's Cst Tim Fanning defended the special task force, called the Violence Suppression Team, saying that officers have produced more than 600 reports, and laid 31 criminal charges from assaults to breaching bail conditions.
"We do as much as we can," Fanning told reporters at a press conference Sunday.
"Sadly we weren't able to stop last night's double homicide," he said.
The reality is most -- if not all -- gang shootings go unsolved.
Last August, gunmen opened fire inside the Fortune Happiness Restaurant, killing two men.
A month later, diners at Quattro Restaurant in Kitsilano were shocked when two gunmen started spraying bullets at a man through the glass.
And in November, two young men known to be gangsters were shot and killed in their Mercedes on Granville Street.
No arrests have been made in any of the cases. But Fanning said that he was optimistic that Vancouver Police will prevent gang violence as they work to bring criminals to justice.
With a report from CTV's Jina You
