VANCOUVER -- Police have released a short video connected to a targeted shooting in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood in 2019.
The eight-second clip shows a white SUV parked next to what appears to be a dumpster at about 8:40 p.m. on April 16 of that year, according to the timestamp.
Two doors of the SUV open on the passenger's side, and two people get out. It appears one heads behind bins the SUV is parked next to, while the other goes in front. The video is on a loop, and shows the scene twice. It's hard to make out what happens next, if anything.
The SUV's licence plate is not visible in the version officers released. Police have not provided a description of what happens in the rest of the video, if anything, nor have they given a location of where it was captured.
The clip was sent out on the anniversary of the shooting death of Manoj Kumar, a 30-year-old man who was gunned down while sitting in his BMW X Series SUV near Burrard Street and West 4th Avenue.
“Two years later we still don’t have suspects in custody and we’re hoping being here today can spark people’s memories -- jog their minds -- of where it happened,” said Const. Tania Visintin at a news conference held where Kumar was shot.
“Investigators don’t believe that he was involved in any dangerous lifestyle. They believe this was an isolated incident in the sense that it was random. He didn’t have any criminal history. He wasn’t involved in this lifestyle so we are still not sure as to why this happened and that’s something that we’re needing more information on.”
He died at the scene, and the suspects fled before officers arrived.
The same night of the shooting, a white Dodge Durango was found near West 22nd Avenue and Yew Street. The vehicle had been set on fire, police said, a move often seen in gang-related shootings in Metro Vancouver.
Police believe it is tied to the shooting.
No motive has been made public even two years later.
In a news release on the anniversary of Kumar's death, Vancouver police claimed officers "continue to make progress" toward solving the case, but said they're hoping for more leads from the public.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any more information on Mr. Kumar. And that’s why we’re appealing to the public today,” Visintin said at Friday's news conference. “We need those with information to please come forward, to bring closure to the family, most importantly.”
Anyone with more information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
