B.C. mayor slams social platforms as video of shooting at Bollywood star’s café circulates online

Bullet holes are seen in the windows of a café, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Surrey Police are investigating after shots were fired at Kap's Cafe, which is linked to comic and television host Kapil Sharma, who posted a video of the newly opened establishment on Instagram this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

As video circulates online of the shooting that targeted a Bollywood star’s business in Surrey, B.C., this week, the city’s mayor is calling for a swift social media crackdown.

In a statement Friday, Brenda Locke urged TikTok, Meta, X and other social platforms to “stop allowing violent criminals to weaponize your networks.”

Locke was referring to a short recording that shows 10 shots being fired from a handgun at Kap’s Café – owned by Indian actor and comedian Kapil Sharma – early Thursday morning.

• Related: Shooting targets restaurant owned by Indian comedian

The mayor suggested the decision to record and share the shooting was intended to terrorize everyday citizens.

“That fear is real,” she said. “I felt it first-hand last night while visiting Kap’s Cafe and nearby businesses and speaking with employees and customers who now worry about their safety.”

Locke also called it “intolerable” that Meta continues to block Canadian news content – as it has since the federal government enacted Bill C-18, the Online News Act – while “videos glorifying violent crime circulate freely.”

She called on all social media sites to quickly remove any such content, implement better real-time detection tools to avoid similar situations in the future, and permanently ban any accounts “linked to criminal organizations.”

TikTok, Meta and X all have policies banning violent content, though all have faced criticism for the speed and thoroughness of their moderation.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Todd Coyne