Mounties link 11 shootings to turf war in Surrey and Delta

Mounties are asking for information on a number of victims of intended victims of recent shootings in Surrey and Delta. April 14, 2015. (Handout)

There’s a bloody turf war raging in Metro Vancouver that’s resulted in at least 11 shootings over recent weeks, the RCMP revealed Tuesday.

Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said there have been 16 shootings in Surrey and three in Delta since March 9 alone, and that the majority are linked to a violent rivalry between groups of low-level drug traffickers.

“We believe these two groups are competing over turf and have chosen to jeopardize public safety in that process,” Fordy said in a statement.

“This type of violence is completely unacceptable.”

One suspect, Arman Dhatt of Delta, has been arrested and charged with a dozen firearms and trafficking offences, but the RCMP said its investigations are being hampered by uncooperative victims.

Fordy said young men who’ve been targeted have brushed off police with a variety of lines, from “The bullets fell from the sky” to “I will take care of it myself.”

Mounties said despite the victims’ objections, authorities are determined to stop them from settling their disputes on their own. The RCMP released the names and photos of every uncooperative target on Tuesday in the hopes that family, friends or acquaintances will come forward and help investigators.

Related: The full timeline of shootings since March 9

“We are disappointed with the lack of cooperation from the victims and we know the community is frustrated as well,” Fordy said. “We need information on their whereabouts, their connections, and their activities. Any information could benefit the investigations and help prevent somebody else from being shot.”

The victims and intended victims are Adam Lakatos, Derrick Bequette, Chadanjot Gill, Sukhraj Chahal, Tirath Taggar and Charandeep Tiwana of Surrey, and Shakiel Basra and Sukhpreet Pansal of Delta.

Fordy said the RCMP is also still looking for information on men who were identified at a previous press conference: Surrey residents Sameh Mohammed, Amrit Kular, Indervir Johal and Pardeep Singh, and Delta resident Pardip Brar.

Mounties described the warring groups as being of South Asian and Somalian descent, and said authorities have reached out to elders and leaders in both communities for help curbing the violence.

The Surrey RCMP detachment has also been working with Delta police and B.C.’s gang task force, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, to tackle the problem since the first shooting was reported, Fordy said.

The two latest shootings took place on Monday, first around 2 a.m. and again around 11:30 p.m., though it doesn’t appear anyone was injured in either.

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, who ran a tough-on-crime platform in the last election, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.