Victim in fatal Delta shooting identified as B.C. corrections officer

The man gunned down in a Delta, B.C. parking lot on Saturday night was a provincial corrections officer, police confirmed Sunday.

Police say Bikramdeep Randhawa, 29, was shot dead just before 5 p.m. outside a busy shopping centre near 72nd Avenue and Scott Road.

Randhawa was not known to police, and investigators are still working to determine a motive — including whether the killing was a case of mistaken identity, or potentially related to his job.

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends, as they now start to deal with their loss,” Insp. Guy Leeson, head of Investigative Services for Delta Police, said in a media release.

The BC Government and Service Employees Union said Randhawa had worked at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre.

“We are all shocked and devastated at the loss of one of our own. While the loss of any member under any circumstances is a tragedy, the public and violent nature of Bikramdeep’s death make this loss immeasurably worse,” union president Stephanie Smith said in a statement.

“In the coming days and weeks the BCGEU will be focused on making sure our members are supported as they grieve with Bikramdeep’s loved ones and that our members’ mental, emotional and physical safety are a priority going forward.”

Police also confirmed Sunday that a torched vehicle found in Burnaby that resembled a getaway vehicle seen in bystander video from the crime scene was, in fact, related to the shooting.

In the widely circulated video, a man who appears to be holding a gun can be seen running through the Scottsdale Centre parking lot, jumping over a barrier and getting into the vehicle, which flees the scene.

Delta police said they had been in contact with BC Corrections and other Metro Vancouver police agencies about links to other recent shootings, but have not yet linked the killing to the regional gang conflict.

Investigators are appealing for more information on the victim and a potential motive.

“We’re asking anyone who knew Mr. Randhawa, or who could have information related to why he was targeted in this manner, to please contact police at 604-946-4411, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477,” Leeson said.