A murder charge has been laid in the April 1 shooting of Surrey resident Christopher Raymond Hartl, 48, in Whalley.
Darren Ellis Scott, 40, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Hartl was rushed to hospital after Surrey Mounties responded to a call of a man shot inside a residence in the 12600-block of 97 Avenue at 2:27 p.m. Friday, April 1.
Sgt. David Lee, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit, said police believe the shooting was “isolated and not connected to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict.
“Information acquired at the scene led investigators to another residence in Surrey,” he said. “Even though there are charges, we will still be collecting evidence and speaking to witnesses.”
READ ALSO: IHIT called in after Surrey shooting victim dies in hospital
Since IHIT took over investigating homicides from the Surrey RCMP’s serious crimes section in June 2003 it has to date cleared 145 of the total 259 homicide cases it has investigated in Surrey. That is a clearance rate of 55 per cent.
These cases, IHIT told the Now-Leader, “have been cleared by charge, recommended charge, or cleared otherwise.”
So far this year IHIT is investigating three Surrey homicides, including Hartl’s.
The two other shooting victims are Brian Chapman, 62, in the 13500-block of 85 Avenue on Jan. 9 and a man whom media outlets have identified as 24-year-old Juvraj Jabal – though IHIT has not confirmed this – who was killed on Feb. 8, in the 16800-block of 104 Avenue.
On March 25, a man’s body was found in an alley in the 13000-block of 64 Avenue. Lee said this case is not yet confirmed a homicide, with “autopsy results pending.”
“May not be an IHIT file,” Lee said.
Meantime, the Independent Investigation Office is investigating a “fatal officer-involved shooting incident” on April 1 involving police, near the intersection of 142A Street and 87A Avenue, in which a man died. Lee said this is “not an IHIT file.”
Surrey had 10 homicides in 2021 and 12 in 2020. In 2019 there were 21. In 2018 there were 15 homicides and the most Surrey recorded in any given year was 25 in 2013, breaking the previous record of 21 in 2005.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter
