SURREY: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead on Sunday night in a parking lot of the gurdwara in the 7000-block of 120 Street.
Surrey RCMP informed in a release that on June 18 at approximately 8:27 pm Surrey RCMP were called to a report of a shooting in a parking lot of a temple in the 7000 block of 120th Street.
Upon attendance police found an adult male inside a vehicle suffering from apparent gun shot wounds and provided medical assistance until Emergency Health Services arrived on scene. The man died of his injuries at the scene.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called and will be working in partnership with Surrey RCMP. IHIT officially has released the identity of the victim as 45-year old, Hardeep Singh NIJJAR, in hopes of advancing their investigation.
Many of Surrey’s community members took to social media to inform about the shooting and identify NIjjar minutes after shooting.
A large crowd outside the Gurdwara started gathering to offer prayers and express shock at the incident since Nijjar was a high-profile member. The Scott Road was shut down
Police are currently in the evidence gathering phase and will be on scene speaking to witnesses and canvassing for any video and physical evidence.
At this early stage of the investigation, any possible motives for the shooting are not yet known. Police are still working to determine possible suspect descriptions from multiple witnesses who were in the area.
Surrey RCMP said that it was aware of social media posts that are speculating on the identity of the victim, but are not in a position to confirm the victim’s identity at this very early time. “We are in the early stages of our investigation. We understand there is a lot of speculation regarding the motive of this homicide, but we are dedicated to learning the facts and letting the evidence lead our investigation.” says Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of IHIT. “We are aware that many people were present at the time of the shooting. It’s important that investigators speak to each person. Anyone who has yet to speak to police is asked to please contact IHIT immediately.”
IHIT is asking anyone with information regarding the investigation, or anyone with dash-camera video who was in the area of 122 Street or who was in the parking lot of the Gurdwara, to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].
