A high-ranking member of the B.C. Sikh community was shot and killed Sunday evening in a gurdwara parking lot.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on 120th Street just before 8:30 p.m., RCMP said in a Monday press conference.
Nijjar was the president of the gurdwara. While a motive has not yet been determined, Mounties said the shooting appears to be targeted.
“Last night’s homicide was a brazen act of violence outside a place of worship,” said Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards at a Monday press conference.
“Many community members were present following evening prayers at the gurdwara. This was a shocking and very public act of violence against a well-known community member and gurdwara president.”
So far, police have not arrested anyone or released any suspect descriptions. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) further declined to reveal whether threats have been made against Nijjar in the past.
“It is a part of our active investigation,” said Sgt. Tim Pierotti of IHIT.
“We understand there’s a lot of speculation as to the motive of this homicide but we are dedicated to learning the facts and letting the evidence lead our investigation.”
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According to a post from the BCSikhs Instagram page, Nijjar was killed while exiting the Gurdwara’s parking lot by two gunmen. RCMP did not confirm Monday whether there are one or more suspects.
Video obtained by Global News appears to show the glass of a grey pickup truck smashed out.
“I just live close by, and I was kind of curious, so I went inside, and I heard people talking about the body still being there,” witness Jas Minhas said in an interview.
“I heard them offering prayers, which you typically do if somebody passed away.”
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Hundreds of mourners gathered overnight outside the gurdwara to pray, offer community support, and at times, protest. Others knelt by the gurdwara on Monday afternoon, praying before yellow flags.
“The BC Sikh community has suffered an immeasurable physical loss tonight at the hands of spineless cowards,” reads the Sunday post from BCSikhs, which describes Nijjar as a “brave warrior,” a “fearless activist and tireless president.”
Gurpreet Singh, a radio host with Burnaby’s Spice Radio 1200 AM, interviewed Nijjar in May and called the grisly killing both “heartbreaking” and “shocking.” The large gatherings outside the gurdwara on Sunday and Monday show the “anxiety at people’s level” generated by the attack, he added.
“They are really concerned that if this happens to a president of the gurdwara, anything can happen to anyone,” Singh told Global News on Monday.
“Last night, people were very angry. They want to the gurdwara … they were all riled up that why (has) the RCMP has failed to do anything?”
During the May interview, Singh said Nijjar was “very vocal” about threats he was receiving “discreetly” at the time. According to Singh, Nijjar said those threats were related to allegations of a connection to terrorist activities.
According to an Indian media report in 2016, Nijjar was accused of running a terror training camp in Mission allegedly training Sikh youth to potentially carry out attacks in the state of Punjab.
RCMP have said there was no information at the time substantiating any claims of a terror camp in Mission.
Nijjar has repeatedly claimed his innocence and penned a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling allegations “factually baseless and fabricated.”
In 2018, India filed a First Information Report against Nijjar, whom it accuses of plotting to carry out a major terrorist attack in Punjab.
Nijjar has previously admitted to speaking out in favour of Sikh separatism but denied being involved in any acts of violence.
Homicide investigators are working with the Surrey RCMP, forensic identification unit, integrated tactical team and BC Coroners Service on the investigation.
Police are asking all of the “many people” who were present at the time of the shooting to contact them at 1-877-551-4448 or ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. They’re also seeking dashcam footage from 122nd Street or the gurdwara parking lot between 7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. on Sunday.
“I am absolutely appalled that this would take place in a house of worship in the City of Surrey or anywhere for that matter. It’s disgusting,” said Edwards.
“Neither the police nor the residents of this community will stand for it … how we deal with fear is, we come together, everybody comes together, and we make a statement and say, ‘We’re not going to take this.'”
Anyone in need of confidential, non-judgmental, 24/7 mental health support can contact Crisis Centre BC at 1-784-2433.
Emotional support and information on mental health resources is also available at 310-6789, no area code needed.
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