A 30-year-old Surrey, B.C., man has been killed in a shooting apparently triggered by a minor traffic accident.
Police say he was gunned down in the Vancouver suburb after stepping out of his car to speak to the driver of a white SUV at around 11 p.m.
The victim's wife told investigators they were driving behind the SUV when it crossed the centre lane and sideswiped their car, a Lexus, causing minor damage to both vehicles.
The victim's wife says she doesn't know who the attacker was. She remained in the car, and was not injured – but bullets sprayed the neighbourdhood, including two that wound up in a nearby home.
Witness Bobby Sangha said he heard up to six shots and looked out his window to see the man – whose name has not been released – lying in a neighbour's yard with his wife nearby on the phone.
"She was talking on the cell phone, calling 911 saying, ‘They shot him,' " Sangha said.
Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said it's rare for a fender bender to end with gunfire, and that investigators will be working to confirm the events leading up to the shooting.
"We don't know the back story, we don't know what led up to the minor accident," he said. "Any versions that we're given by witnesses, we look at those and see how plausible they are."
Police say it's too early to say if the crime is linked to gangs, drugs, or organized crime.
Major crimes detectives are expected to canvas the area door-to-door Thursday to speak to anyone who may have witnessed something suspicious or out of the ordinary.
Investigators are appealing for witnesses who may have seen an erratic driver, described as an Indo-Canadian man, driving in a white Ford Explorer with silver trim between 11 p.m. and midnight in the Newton area of Surrey.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
