Woman shot while sleeping in Surrey home believed to be first injured in extortion cases

A shooting that left one woman seriously injured in Surrey, B.C., has been linked to extortion, but the victim wasn't the intended target, according to police.

Police in Surrey, B.C., say that a shooting that seriously injured a woman over the weekend was related to extortion, marking what is believed to be the first time someone has been physically harmed in the wave of threats and attacks plaguing the city.

The victim, described as a South Asian woman in her 20s, was asleep when a bullet fired from outside the home went through an exterior wall and struck her, police confirmed.

On Tuesday, Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Surrey Police Service said the victim’s condition has improved from “critical and potentially life-threatening” to “serious, but stable” since the shooting early Sunday morning.

He also revealed that investigators do not believe the woman, nor any of the other people living in the home, were the intended targets.

“We have seen a number of incidents this year, with some of the extortion incidents, where owners of either houses that are rented out or business owners are the intended targets themselves,” he told CTV News. “So that’s what we’re looking at right now, whether the owner of the house themselves was the intended target.”

He said officers are still collecting evidence and investigating why the house, located in the 13000 block of 103A Avenue, was targeted.

Surge of extortion-related violence

Sunday’s shooting was the latest in a surge of extortion-related violence striking fear for South Asian residents and business owners in Surrey. There have been more than 50 reports of extortion attempts in the city this year, according to police.

Addressing the situation at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said she sees “some light at the end of the tunnel” after seven suspects were charged in relation to extortion cases last week.

She praised the province for supporting a Joint Forces Operation created to tackle extortion, which comprises members from several local police agencies, adding the Canada Border Services Agency’s involvement has made a big difference.

“We also always need to remember this is transnational crime, these are transnational gangs, these are international gangs that are in our city and certainly Surrey is feeling the brunt of it, but it is right across the country,” Locke said.

The mayor gave a reminder about the city’s $250,000 reward fund that will pay people for information that leads to convictions in the ongoing extortion cases.

Anyone with information about Sunday’s shooting is urged to call the SPS at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 25-89656. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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