SURREY – Surrey shootings continue non-stop as the latest victim being 17-year-old, who was shot in the leg, Tuesday night, in the 12400-block of 100 Avenue. The shooting happened a little before 9 p.m. outside Surrey’s Prince Charles Elementary School.
Police said their early investigation found the teen was approached by two Caucasian males, aged between 17 and 22 years old, and one of the two fired a shot at the 17-year-old victim.
The victim was taken to hospital in stable condition, and his injuries are considered non-life-threatening, according to Surrey RCMP.
Both suspects are described as 178 cm tall (5’10”) and wearing dark clothes. They were covering their faces with scarves.
A police dog was brought in to sweep the playing fields and officers bagged several items at the scene.
The motive for the shooting is unclear and the investigation is still in its infancy, say police.
One witness told CTV Morning Live he heard half a dozen shots, and thought it was fireworks.
“It was scary. You don’t know if you’re going to make it home at the end of your workday,” he told CTV.
The school board has no current plan to send notices home with parents.
Spokesperson Doug Strachan said they will monitor the situation at the school.
“I think we are like everyone else in the community shocked of anything of this sort, that someone was shot, let alone a young boy,” he said.
RCMP said Thursday that upon further investigation, they now believe this was a targeted incident and part of a pre-arranged altercation that involved multiple young persons from two different groups.
Officers have received minimal cooperation from the victim, who remains in hospital in stable condition, along with those young persons believed to be involved. The investigation is still in its early stages, however, there is nothing to indicate that this incident was related to the city’s ongoing conflicts between those involved in the drug trade.
“Our officers will be working with the school district and parents of those who we believe are involved in this altercation to try to prevent these young persons from being involved in further incidents of this kind,” said Surrey RCMP Corporal Scotty Schumann. “This is also an opportunity for all parents and guardians to talk with their children about personal safety and being cautious of whom they associate with and the activities they are involved in.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
