A stolen SUV linked to a deadly shooting in Surrey was found engulfed in flames overnight, and the sole suspect in the killing remains at large.
The 2010 Kia Borrego, believed to have been used as a getaway vehicle, was reported to police and firefighters at an industrial complex on 192 Street just before midnight Tuesday.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed the burned-out vehicle is the one they’ve been searching for since Monday’s shooting, though the licence plate had been transferred to another Kia Borrego found blocks from the fire.
“The licence plates were switched, and that’s a diversion to make it a little bit more difficult for us,” Sgt. Adam MacIntosh said.
Suspect Barry McQuarrie, 33, is still on the loose and police warn he is considered armed and dangerous. He hasn’t been charged in the homicide but is wanted on a series of unrelated warrants.
McQuarrie’s name and photo were released on Tuesday evening, but MacIntosh said there’s been little sign of him since.
“We have not had a large number of tips which suggests to us Mr. McQuarrie is probably hiding,” he said.
The victim, identified as 32-year-old Gregory Quesnelle, was gunned down at a townhouse near 167 Street and 57 Avenue in Surrey’s Cloverdale neighbourhood late Monday night.
He is originally from southern Ontario and has a criminal record, according to IHIT. Investigators believe the shooting was related to an ongoing domestic dispute, and had nothing to do with drugs or gangs.
Neighbours said Quesnelle was living at the home with a woman and her child, and that McQuarrie was often seen there.
The suspect has a long criminal history involving theft, break-and-enter and assault, and in the past police have described him as an out-of-control drug addict.
In 2005, when McQuarrie was 24 years old, he was accused of shooting a Langley man in the shoulder.
He was also accused of breaking into a woman’s apartment, assaulting her and stealing a car in 2012, though the charges against him were eventually dropped.
Anyone with information on the killing or McQuarrie’s whereabouts is asked to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-4448, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if they wish to remain anonymous.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim and Lisa Rossington