'Nobody has been held accountable': Family creates bursary to honour young Surrey woman whose killer still hasn't been caught

SURREY, B.C. -

A family is still looking for answers in the murder of a young woman gunned down in Surrey, B.C., almost one year ago.

“It’s been a very traumatic situation for all of us,” said Ryan Morris whose niece, 23-year-old Shana Harris, was killed Feb. 4, 2021.

Police have said Harris was not the intended target. Investigators believe the shooter was after a man who was also injured but survived.

“We’re still hoping for some closure. Nobody has been held accountable or arrested for her murder yet,” said Morris in an interview with CTV News ahead of the one-year anniversary of Harris's death.

In an email, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said that while no new details can be released, “we can say this investigation is active and ongoing. Investigators continue to follow up on tasks and new information that comes forward.”

As the family waits for answers, it is also trying to keep Harris’s memory alive.

With help from Queen Elizabeth Secondary, where Harris briefly attended school, a bursary has been created in her memory.

“It’s going to be targeting a student who has gone through adversity, hopefully somebody who is maybe going to be interested in pursuing mental health, counselling or addictions as a profession,” said Jeremy Lendvoy, one of Harris’s former teachers and now a counsellor at the high school.

Harris, who struggled with addiction and mental health herself, had hoped to become an addictions counsellor.

Her former teacher described her as “extremely intelligent.”

“She had a love for animals. Very, very popular in this school. She had a lot of energy,” Landvoy said.

Morris said the bursary is something his niece would have approved of.

“She always wanted to help people, kind of go for the underdog so to speak,” said Morris.

“It’s important to me to carry on her energy and her legacy of the kind and gentle human being she was.”

The school and family are hoping the community will support the bursary, which is designed to give an at-risk student a better chance at success through a post-secondary education. An online fundraiser has been set up to raise money for the bursary as well. 

Landvoy said it’s also hoped that the bursary will continue to raise awareness around addictions and mental health among young people.

At the same time, the family is appealing for anyone who has information about Harris’s death to talk to police.

“It’s not going to bring her back but at least it will help us to move forward,” Morris said.