An innocent teen who was killed by gunfire while in a car with his parents was the victim of surging gang violence, Vancouver’s police chief told reporters on Monday.

“We haven’t seen gang violence like this in probably the last 10 years,” Chief Constable Adam Palmer said at a press conference. “We’re definitely in an uptick in gang violence in Metro Vancouver right now.”

Fifteen-year-old Alfred Wong died on Jan. 15 following a Jan. 13 shooting that saw his family’s vehicle get caught in the crossfire of a gang-related slaying.

The intended target of the attack, 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside, was killed while a man in his thirties, who was also driving by, sustained only minor injuries.

“I know the answer to that question, as to who fired the bullet, but I’m not prepared to share that with you right now,” Palmer said of Wong’s killer. “We do not have significant evidence to lay charges.”

At the press conference, media also heard from the victim’s older brother, Wilfred Wong, as well as the family’s pastor, Caleb Choi of the Coquitlam Christ Church of China.

“We’re all still in shock that something like this could have happened to us,” Wilfred said, reading from a prepared statement. “My parents and I will always love him dearly and his death will leave a void in our hearts.”

Choi described the teenage victim as a “bright young man” who excelled in his studies and sports.

“Although he was taken from us much, much too soon, he lived his 15 years to the fullest extent,” Choi said. “We know that he is now with God in a better place.”

In the press conference, Palmer described Wong’s murder as “senseless,” “heartbreaking,” and “tragic.”

Roughly 50 officers continue to work on the case.

“We have a pretty good idea of how the scene looked that night,” Palmer said.

Police, however, have not released information on how many shooters were involved or how many shots were fired that night. Whiteside, Palmer added, was known to police and was armed at the time of his death. Palmer would not say, however, if Whiteside was responsible for Wong’s murder.

During the press conference, Palmer appealed to the public to come forward with any information on the shooting or video from the scene.

“I can’t emphasize enough that every piece of information is helpful, and if you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, please come forward as it may assist in solving this crime,” he said.

Amid the surge in gang-related violence, Palmer also attempted to reassure citizens that Vancouver “is a safe city” when “compared to many other places in the world.”

“However, we’re not immune from violence,” he said. “And we do have several groups that are out there hunting one another down and killing each other, and it all revolves around drugs.”

Wong’s funeral is scheduled to be held on Saturday.

With files from The Canadian Press