The names, ages and photos of six Metro Vancouver men were released to the public Monday as they pose a “significant risk” to public safety amid the region’s ongoing gang conflict, according to police.
Following a number of recent shootings in public places, police said they are expecting the violence to escalate.
“Our police intelligence leads us to believe that the individuals we have identified today may be targeted by rival gang members,” Vancouver Chief Const. Adam Palmer said in a release. “My greatest concern right now, related to the ongoing gang violence, is that an innocent bystander will be hurt or killed during a shooting targeting a gangster.”
An innocent bystander was hit by a stray bullet during a shooting in Burnaby on May 8. Bullets also hit the intended target, Toni Dalipi, who later died in hospital.
Police said there have been 20 gang-related homicides in the region this year and 20 attempted murders.
“Gang violence continues to be a prominent public safety issue in Metro Vancouver. There have been numerous reckless, brazen acts of violence that threaten the safety of innocent bystanders,” Palmer said.
“I want all Vancouver residents to know the faces of these individuals and to keep their distance from them.”
The six men identified are:
- Garinder Deo, 35
- Harjit Deo, 38
- Barinder Dhaliwal, 38
- Meninder Dhaliwal, 28
- Ekene Anigbo, 22
- Damion Ryan, 41
Vancouver police have also launched a new task force. Taskforce Threshold was launched on May 12 and consolidates resources and expertise from the VPD’s investigation and operations divisions to help prevent gang violence and investigate incidents if they occur.
It will provide all frontline patrol officers with regular briefings on the gang conflict as it evolves and about any gangsters believed to be living in or visiting Vancouver, police said.
“Every single patrol officer will know every single player in this conflict,” Palmer added. “They will step up patrols in the city – specifically near the restaurants and businesses the gangsters frequent.”
There’s been a string of shootings resulting in murders and injuries in Metro Vancouver over the last few weeks, taking place near shopping centres, restaurants and busy streets.
On May 13, one person was killed and two others injured following a shooting outside a Burnaby Cactus Club.
Two other people, a man and a woman, were also targeted. They suffered severe injuries but are expected to survive.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified the victim as Jaskeert Kalkat, a 23-year-old who was affiliated with gang activity.
Dalipi, 19, was shot and killed in Burnaby around 7 p.m. on May 8 in the area of 13 Avenue and 6 Street. Ahmed Riyaz Tahir, 20, was later charged with first-degree murder.
Bikramdeep Randhawa, a B.C. corrections officer, was gunned down outside Scottsdale Centre Mall in Surrey on May 1.
No suspects have been identified in connection with the fatal shooting of the 29-year-old.
A man was shot outside Langley’s Willowbrook shopping centre on May 3. He was taken to the hospital but was expected to survive.
On April 30, a 19-year-old was shot and killed in Surrey.
Investigators said the young man showed up at the hospital just after 1:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound and died soon after.
On May 5, a woman was shot in Surrey.
RCMP say 20-year-old Keryane Arsenault was found just before 9 p.m. near 96 Avenue and 161A Street and later died in hospital.
Twenty-four-year-old Ali Khudhair was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
A 25-year-old woman was shot in Burnaby on May 2. RCMP said it happened around 4:10 a.m. Sunday morning, near Dubois Street and Boundary Road. She was expected to survive.
On April 21, a man in his 40s was shot and killed at the Langley Sportsplex on 91A Avenue just after 9 a.m.
On April 20, Bailey McKinney, 20, was shot dead near the skate park at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park.
And on April 18, a man was shot and killed in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour neighbourhood. The victim was later identified as Harpreet Singh Dhaliwal from Abbotsford.
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