Police ID man gunned down outside Mission movie theatre

Investigators say victim 'marked for death' Investigators say a man killed in a shooting in Mission was 'marked for death' as the region's gun violence epidemic claims another life.

The young man killed in a shooting outside a Mission, B.C. movie theatre Wednesday night had alleged gang ties and was the subject of an unusual police warning over the summer.

On Thursday morning, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified the deceased as 19-year-old Varinderpal Gill, who often went by the nickname "VP."

Officers found his body after responding to reports of shots fired in the parking lot of Mission Junction Mall at around 9 p.m., while a number of businesses were still open, including Tim Hortons, London Drugs and Silvercity Mission Cinemas.

"This was a brazen shooting in a busy shopping complex and those responsible showed no regard for the safety of the community," Cpl. Frank Jang told reporters. "It's very fortunate that nobody was hurt other than our victim."

Gill's murder, which police believe was targeted, took place about a half hour before the multiplex theatre's last scheduled show time of the night.

Authorities cordoned off the parking lot with police tape overnight, and a pickup truck could be seen with bullet holes in the driver's-side window.

In August, the Abbotsford Police Department issued a warning that Gill posed "a significant risk to the public" because of his involvement in gang conflicts in the Lower Mainland.

"Because many gang shootings occur in public places, this means Varinderpal Gill’s presence in public places creates a serious risk to public safety as well," the department said at the time.

About four hours after Wednesday's shooting, a burning SUV was reported to Abbotsford police in Bateman Park. Though it's early in their investigation, authorities believe the vehicle is connected to Gill's murder.

Anyone with information on the killing is asked to call IHIT at 1-877-551-4448, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst