Police have found the suspect vehicle from a fatal North Vancouver shooting last Friday and released new footage of two suspects linked to the case.
Members of the North Vancouver fire department and RCMP found the dark blue Mazda 3 in flames in the 300-block of Tempe Crescent on Saturday, less than 24 hours after it was seen fleeing the parking lot where the victim was found.
In a Tuesday press conference, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) released images of a driver and passenger seen exiting the Mazda before it was found. The car, police noted, had stolen license plates.
“We want to identify these individuals and speak with them, and anybody else that might have seen them in the area,” said Det. Cpl. Sukhi Dhesi.
“We are urging the public to look carefully at these images and video in order to assist IHIT investigators.”
Police responded to the shooting around 2:45 p.m. on Friday and found 34-year-old Milad Rahimi suffering from fatal gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Real Canadian Superstore at 333 Seymour Boulevard.
The Mazda 3 was seen heading north on Seymour after the shooting.
Officers responded to reports of a car on fire around 7 p.m. the next day and confirmed it was the suspect Mazda 3.
The driver is described as wearing a black hoodie and grey pants with torn patterns or patch work, black shoes, and a medical mask, carrying a grey backpack with a single strap.
The passenger is described as wearing a three-quarter-length black jacket with a hood and a distinctive white symbol on left shoulder, along with grey pants and black shoes.
Police have said the victim, Rahimi, was known to them and had an extensive history of gang ties in Canada and abroad.
He reportedly had connections to the United Nations gang, whose former leader, Conor D’Monte, was captured in Puerto Rico last month.
“His murder has all the hallmarks of a targeted gang hit,” Dhesi said on Saturday.
Police cautioned, however, against making any connections between Rahimi’s death and other events, such as D’Monte’s capture.
Investigators are asking witnesses and anyone with dash cam or security footage from March 11 between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the area of the Real Canadian Superstore, and March 12 around Tempe Crescent, to come forward.
“We know that this is a very traumatic event, and that people who might have been in either the Superstore parking lot or who might have seen individuals on March 11 or 12 in the area of the 300-block of Tempe … everybody deals with circumstances differently,” said Dhesi.
“We at IHIT have victims’ services available for anybody that needs to speak with somebody.”
The IHIT Information Line can be reached by calling 1-877-551-4448 or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
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