SURREY – Police said this week that the Surrey man who was fatally shot in a targeted shooting caught on a neighbourhood surveillance camera was not the intended target but was killed in a case of mistaken identity.
Sources had earlier told DESIBUZZCanada that in fact the intended target was a South Asian man who either lived in the neighbourhood or moved there recently.
During a recent visit to the area, investigators allegedly talked to the intended target and warned him about his safety, according to our sources.
But told the media they are still working to determine who the intended target was.
On Thursday, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Paul Bennett, a minor hockey coach in Surrey, was completely innocent and it was a case of mistaken identity.
“Paul Bennett was a completely innocent person,” said Cpl. Frank Jang with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Bennett was a 47-year-old father of two who worked as a nurse and volunteered as a hockey coach.
He was gunned down in broad daylight in a quiet residential suburb in Cloverdale on June 23.
RCMP initially said Bennett was not known to police, but that the shooting was targeted.
“Mr. Bennett was not known to police. He did not have a criminal record and he had no associations to any form of criminality,” Jang said Thursday .
There have been no arrests in the case.
Bennett’s widow, Darlene, has issued a tearful plea to the public to help police find the killer.
“We remember Paul’s life as a husband, father, brother, and son — as being normal as any of our lives,” says Bennett’s widow, Darlene. “He wore his heart on his sleeve and was a presence in the room. He had an easy ability to converse with anyone on any topic. He was a people person and relished being around others.”
“He volunteered his time freely, whether it be to coach the boys in sports or pick up unfilled call shifts at the hospital.”
“We never thought he would die in such a senseless and violent way”
“Video surveillance captured a newer model four-door silver Honda civic leaving the area. Our investigators would like to speak with anyone that has information about this particular vehicle,” says Jang.
