Surrey Mayor Demands Gang Unit Review After Targeted Killings of Two Teenagers

Two teenage boys, ages 16 and 18, were found shot to death in an underground parking garage in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of May 10. Police have described the killings as targeted and connected to the broader B.C. gang conflict. The deaths prompted Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke to demand an immediate review of a recent decision to redeploy members of the Surrey Police Service's specialist gang unit.

The Details

Police responded shortly before 10 p.m. PT on May 10 to reports of gunfire at an underground parking garage located near 133B Street and 70B Avenue in Surrey. Officers arriving at the scene discovered the bodies of two teenage boys, ages 16 and 18, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) later assumed control of the investigation from the Surrey Police Service.

Investigators have said the killings were targeted and related to the B.C. gang conflict. As of May 11, police had not announced any arrests and had not released the names of the victims to the public.

Shortly after the shooting, a vehicle fire was reported near 144 Street and 84 Avenue. Police later recovered a burned grey four-door sedan that investigators believe was involved in the homicide.

CBC News reported that both victims had previous interactions with police related to connections to organized crime, despite their young ages.

Context

The double homicide comes amid a recent wave of gun violence in Surrey. Global News reported that other recent shootings in the city had left three people dead and two others in critical condition in the lead-up to the May 10 incident.

Mayor Brenda Locke has linked the killings to the temporary reassignment of officers from the Surrey Police Service Gang Crime Unit, an eight-person team she said had been "discontinued or collapsed" at a time of heightened gang violence. Locke wrote to Surrey Police Board Chair Harley Chappell calling for an immediate review of the redeployment decision.

Locke argued that the specialist officers are essential to maintaining public safety in the city. "It is critical that the Surrey Police Service have the right plan in place to combat gang violence in our city, and collapsing this unit at a time when we are experiencing heightened levels of gang violence sends the wrong message," she said.

She also stated that "these officers play a critical role in combatting gangs, extortion, and targeted violence."

Surrey Police Chief Constable Norm Lipinski defended the redeployment in a statement issued on May 11. He said the Gang Crime Unit had been temporarily repurposed to respond to an extortion crisis and to accelerate transition timelines within the police department, with plans for the unit to begin returning to regular duties by mid-June.

"This decision was made to address immediate and serious public safety risks, not to diminish gang enforcement," Lipinski said.

He added that some gang-unit members remain focused on extortion-related operations under Project Assurance, working in coordination with the BC Extortion Task Force and the SPS Extortion Response Team.

What's Next

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team continues to lead the active homicide investigation. Police have characterized the killings as targeted and tied to the B.C. gang conflict, but as of May 11, no suspects had been identified and no additional motive details had been released publicly.

The Surrey Police Service has said its Gang Crime Unit is scheduled to resume regular duties in mid-June. Locke has called on the Surrey Police Board to review the redeployment decision following the fatal shootings.