Burnaby RCMP say a man has been charged in the hit-and-run death of a father of two.
Charles Masala, 53, was killed while cycling in the 1500-block of Gaglardi Way on June 29, 2019.
Police say Sumeet Mangat is now facing impaired driving charges, along with dangerous operations of a motor vehicle and failure to stop at the scene of a accident.
Investigators said the driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the crash, but was arrested a short time afterward.
Masala, an engineer, had originally immigrated from Zambia, and became a Canadian citizen in 1998, a friend told Global News.
He was heavily involved in charity work and had taken a cycling journey from Zambia to Namibia in 2010 to raise money for Dwankhozi Hope, which raises funds and awareness for children’s education in Zambia.
Masala’s death renewed calls for a separated bike lane on Gaglardi way, where cycling advocates say collisions and conflicts with vehicles are common.
In June 2020, advocates launched a petition calling for the infrastructure to be upgraded.
Editor’s note. A previous version of this story said Charles Masala had recently immigrated to Canada. Global News regrets the error.
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