SURREY — So far this year there have been 11, possibly 12 shootings in Surrey, mostly of the drive-by kind.
The latest happened early this morning (Friday), with a 23-year-old Surrey man being shot in the shoulder in Guildford. Police found bullet casings after responding to reports of shots fired at 144th Street and 92nd Avenue at about 2 a.m. Shortly after, they learned the victim had already arrived at hospital.
On Monday night, in the 15800-block of 98th Avenue, with shots fired into the front window of a large house that was occupied at the time.
Surrey RCMP Sgt. Alanna Dunlop said there was a "large gathering of people at a social event that turned into an argument and then an assault between two people that are known to each other.
"We are investigating the assault and the report that one of the males fired one shot into the air," she said. "No one was hurt from these actions. other than minor injuries as a result of the assault."
Dunlop said that respect to the shootings people are trying to determine if any are linked. "So far the evidence has not provided us with any reason to believe these incidents are linked," she said. "Our crime analysts are working hard to analyze all data while collaborating with investigators."
The first shooting happened four days into the new year, at 152nd Street and 48th Avenue in South Surrey. Nobody was injured. Then, an elementary school in rural South Surrey was also hit by a bullet at nighttime and again nobody was injured.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is looking into suspicious death in Newton after a car crashed into a tree last Friday night and the victim died in hospital. Sgt. Stephanie Ashton said he was found suffering from injuries "inconsistent" with a car crash. He'd reportedly been shot and went into cardiac arrest but Ashton would not confirm the nature of his injuries. The victim's name has not been released. The crash happened at 79th Avenue and 123rd Street, just after 9 p.m.
If this was indeed a shooting, there have been four shootings in Newton.
A man is in hospital with serious gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting in Newton on Sunday night. The occupants of a dark-coloured SUV fired into another vehicle in the 14200-block of 64th Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. Surrey RCMP Sgt. Steve Pebernat said police arrived at the shooting scene at about the same time the victim arrived at hospital. "Initial indications are that this is a targeted incident," he said.
This year's other shootings were at 62nd Avenue and 142nd Street with nobody injured, and at 141A Street and 84B Avenue, with nobody injured.
There have been two known shootings in Whalley — one in Bolivar Heights, with nobody injured — and another in which a taxi passenger was shot in the leg.
There was also a shooting in Fleetwood, with no injuries reported.
Finally, last month two men with serious gunshots wounds were dropped off at a local hospital. Police did not disclose the location of the shooting.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com