VANCOUVER -- B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth is strongly condemning the latest round of gun violence associated with the ongoing Metro Vancouver gang conflict.
“I want Lower Mainland residents to rest assured that we are not letting up on our efforts to contain these brazen acts of violence,” Farnworth said.
“Police are well informed on gang activity and are working behind the scenes each and every day to prevent shootings, shut down gang operations and put these criminals behind bars.”
On Saturday, officers in Richmond found the body of Dilraj Johal inside a suite at a condo building on the 8100 block of Lansdowne Road.
Johal’s death was the third violent gang related murder in the Lower Mainland since the start of the new year and the fifth since Dec. 27.
“I know that the public is not only tired of it, but they're frustrated that despite our best efforts – and those of school systems, educators, and police – there is still this attraction to what ultimately is a dead-end street,” said Farnworth. “I echo what the police have said – if you know anything about these crimes please contact them immediately.”
Simon Fraser University professor Dr. Rob Gordon said retaliation to gang violence usually does not stop at one incident.
“So there's a revenge killing, and then there is a killing in response to the revenge killing," Gordon said, adding that while they may be settling scores, rival gangs do not thrive from being in the spotlight.
“Any police or media attention affects the profit line, they don't want that. They want live quietly and supply the people who want what they have to sell,” he said.
