Man gunned down in Richmond, B.C., was gangster whose brother was killed in May
Homicide investigators have identified the man gunned down in broad daylight in Richmond, B.C., Thursday as a 36-year-old gangster whose brother was killed earlier this year.
Emergency crews found Ravinder Samra, a Richmond resident, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds after receiving reports of gunfire in a quiet residential neighbourhood near Minler and Blundell roads at around 5:45 p.m.
Samra succumbed to his injuries at the scene, despite efforts to save his life.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team shared the deceased's name Friday in the hopes of generating tips about his whereabouts and activities in the days leading up to his death.
“Mr. Samra was known to police and we believe this was a targeted shooting associated to the B.C. gang conflict,” IHIT spokesperson Cpl. Sukhi Dhesi said in a statement.
Brothers Ravinder and Amarpreet Samra were previously named in public warnings from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., which alleged both were gang members who posed a threat to public safety in the Lower Mainland.
In one such warning from 2021, the CFSEU-BC cautioned that anyone who associates with the brothers "may be putting themselves at risk."
Amarpreet Samra was shot and killed outside a banquet hall in Vancouver back in May.
NEIGHBOURS ON EDGE AFTER SHOOTING
Following Thursday's shooting, cones and evidence markers could be seen in the driveway of a home as police gathered evidence.
Area residents said they were shaken that something so violent happened in their neighbourhood, not far from a park and daycare. Meyem Hourri told CTV News she and her husband were playing with their kids when the shots rang out.
“We heard like four shots – we thought it was some kind of, I don’t know, fireworks or something,” said Hourri, who lives less than a block from the shooting scene.
“The kids always play around this area, cycling or going to the park,” Hourri added. “Every day we walk around this area.”
IHIT encouraged anyone who was impacted by the shooting to contact the RCMP's Victim Services.
"These are unsettling incidents for members of our community," Dhesi said.
About 10 minutes after Samra was killed, a torched car was found on Blundell between No. 4 and No. 5 roads. Investigators confirmed Friday that the fire appears to be associated with the shooting.
IHIT asked anyone with information on the incident, including dashcam or CCTV video recorded in the area of the shooting or vehicle fire, to contact investigators by calling 1-877-551-4448 or emailing ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kraig Krause
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III will return to public duties on Tuesday when he visits a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
U.K. police arrest man wielding a sword in east London, 5 people are taken to the hospital
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.