‘This vehicle stands out': New appeal in deadly targeted Surrey shooting
If you do, homicide investigators want to hear from you.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says the red Dodge Charger was used in the targeted killing of 29-year-old Jaskaran Singh Minhas in Surrey, B.C., this spring.
Minhas was found with fatal gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of his vehicle on 120 Street near 79 Avenue just before 5:30 p.m. on March 3.
In an update on Monday, IHIT said the vehicle was subsequently dumped and torched in Delta.
But police believe the vehicle was also used in the planning phase of the attack, and said it was spotted in an area of Abbotsford near the U.S. border and in the Fleetwood neighbourhood of Surrey leading up to the shooting.
Story continues below advertisement
'This vehicle stands out and we urge anyone that has any information on the vehicle and/or the occupants to come forward,' Cpl. IHIT Cpl. Sukhi Dhesi said in a media release.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'This is a tragic event for Mr. (Minhas's) family, and they are asking anyone with information about this homicide to come forward and assist in getting answers about the loss of their son.'
Minhas's family also released a statement on Monday, urging anyone with information to come forward.
'We are heartbroken parents desperately seeking answers about what happened to our son, Jaskaran. He was tragically killed in a gang-related incident, and since that day, our lives have been turned upside down as we cope with this unimaginable loss,' the family said.
'We are still searching for answers. If you were present, heard anything, or saw something, please come forward. You may hold the key to helping us understand why this happened to our son. Even if he is not coming back, all we want is the truth and closure. As parents, we need to know why this happened and who is responsible. No one should lose their child like we have.'
Story continues below advertisement
Investigators have previously said that Minhas was known to police and was believed to have had connections to organized crime.
IHIT said it has identified several 'persons of interest' in the killing, and that investigators believe multiple people were involved in the hit's planning and execution.
Anyone with information is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Federal Conservatives call for terror label on India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang
The federal Conservative party has joined the chorus of voices calling for the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be added to Canada's list of terrorist organizations. The gang is suspected to be behind the surge of extortion threats in B.C., Alberta and Ontario that have terrified the South Asian community. It has also claimed responsibility on social media for shooting at buildings, including the recent attack on Bollywood star Kapil Sharma's cafe in Surrey, B.C. Sources have told Global News the Bishnoi gang is also believed to be linked to the murder of Surrey Gurdwara president and Khalistan independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 'Given the terror that they are imposing on the South Asian community, with South Asian Canadians, they do meet the criminal code definition of a terrorist organization,' Conservative public safety critic and Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Frank Caputo told Global News. Story continues below advertisement 5:32 Growing calls to label Bishnoi gang a terrorist group B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with the mayors of Surrey and Brampton, have already called on Ottawa to designate the gang a terrorist organization. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Caputo, a former Crown prosecutor, said putting the gang on the list would give law enforcement new tools to crack down on its activities. 'We're looking at three or four different implications here. One is with respect to property, you can seize the property of a terrorist organization and its associates,' he said. 'Financially, banks can then start freezing accounts and financial transactions. Criminal law, you're liable to a greater punishment; you are liable to punishment simply by virtue of participating in a terrorist organization. And then lastly, law enforcement will have access to additional resources.' Story continues below advertisement India's counterterrorism law enforcement agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), describes the group as a criminal gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose lawyer says he contests more than 40 cases accusing him of crimes such as murder and extortion. The NIA alleges he operates his 'terror-syndicate from jails in different states' in India and through an associate in Canada.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Hateful conduct reports in Canadian military rising after years of decline
The Canadian military saw a rise in reported incidents of hateful conduct last year, reversing a years-long trend of declining reports, internal data suggests. The data, obtained by Global News from the Department of National Defence (DND), has both former military members and outside experts warning of a persisting issue of extremism in the Canadian Armed Forces and society at large despite years of work to confront it. 'The Canadian Forces has always had a problem with racism, sexism and other toxic ideologies,' said Walter Callaghan, adding it's part of what ultimately drove him away from the military in 2010 after nearly a decade serving as a medic. 'It's just the nature of an institution that is this old, that is so enmeshed in the foundation of Canada.' The data comes from the Hateful Conduct Incident Tracking System (HCITS), established to track incidents reported to the chain of command involving military members. Story continues below advertisement Last year, 54 incidents were reported to the HCITS, almost double the 31 incidents reported in 2023. The number of hateful conduct incidents reported so far this year — 34 — has already surpassed that 2023 number, according to the data. There have been 364 incidents of hateful conduct reported to the HCITS since 2020, DND says. Broken down annually, the number of reports had been steadily falling from 116 in 2020 alone before last year's spike. That increase was driven largely by a rise in reported instances of engaging in hate speech or propaganda — 26 incidents in 2024 versus 10 in 2023 — and intimidation or uttering threats (17 last year versus 11 in 2023). There have already been 20 reports of hate speech or propaganda this year, double the 2023 number, the data shows. Story continues below advertisement 'It doesn't completely surprise me,' Callaghan said after looking at the data. 'It's been a long time coming.' A DND spokesperson noted the data only reflects when reports are received, not necessarily when the incident occurred, and that one incident can feature across multiple categories when deemed appropriate by the chain of command. 'Hateful conduct, including extremism, is completely incompatible with the values and ethical principles of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces,' a DND spokesperson told Global News. Recent extremist cases involving military members The data comes shortly after a pair of high-profile cases of alleged extremism involving members of the Canadian military. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Last month, two active military officers were among those arrested for allegedly plotting to forcibly seize a plot of land in Quebec in what authorities called a violent 'anti-government' operation. The military members were denied bail last week. Story continues below advertisement 0:32 3 Quebec terror suspects denied bail in alleged land seizure plot Military police have reopened an investigation into a now-defunct Facebook group involving Canadian Army members that Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright, the Army's commanding officer, said contained 'racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images' in an internal email that called the group 'abhorrent.' The commanding officer of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa has been removed from his post in connection with the probe into the 'Blue Hackle Mafia' social media group, Wright confirmed last month. Asked about those two investigations Friday during an announcement on boosting pay for military members, Prime Minister Mark Carney called them 'terrible situations' and underscored the continued need for 'systematic' culture change in the military. 'First is to call it what it is,' he told reporters. 'Second is to be systematic about understanding what's going on across a huge complex organization — that's as true for the government of Canada as it is for the (Canadian Armed) Forces as it is for a private sector organization — and then taking action on the specific cases but also doing those systematic reforms.' Story continues below advertisement Carney said the government and military have implemented over 60 per cent of the recommendations in former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour's 2022 report on sexual misconduct and culture within the Canadian Armed Forces, which called the military a 'broken system.' Work is ongoing to address the outstanding recommendations, the prime minister added. That 2022 report followed exclusive reporting by Global News over the course of 18 months into allegations of sexual misconduct in the highest ranks of the Canadian Forces. 2:42 Ottawa releases 'ambitious' roadmap to reform military culture Before that report was issued, Callaghan wrote a 2020 paper as a PhD candidate in medical anthropology at the University of Toronto that expressed skepticism that the military would be able to truly change its culture and root out sexual misconduct and 'toxic masculinity.' Story continues below advertisement That culture — particularly the strong military bonds that can discourage speaking out or reporting troubling incidents — applies to hateful conduct and racism, he says. 'That trust is at such a level, that the idea of calling someone out or ratting someone out to the authorities — even when we see the worst behaviours happening — it becomes almost impossible to do that,' he said. As members rise through the ranks, Callaghan said, 'You end up with someone in a leadership position that either holds some of these views or turns a blind eye to them that allows it to grow.' Government data suggests an eroding hesitancy to report troubling incidents. According to the HCITS, the number of days between an incident and a report to the chain of command fell from 169 days in 2019 to just three in 2023. Extremism rising in Canada David Hoffmann, a sociology professor at the University of New Brunswick who co-led research into far-right extremism with the military, says the spike in HCITS reports reflects a growing normalization of hateful behaviour that extends beyond the current political climate. Story continues below advertisement 'Society has loosened the bonds and loosened the social consequences for this type of behaviour,' he told Global News. 'Which is problematic.' That trend has been observed around the world and goes back decades, he added. 'This isn't just one individual pushing this narrative, like (U.S. President Donald Trump) or anything like that. This is something that's happening globally.' 3:36 Canadian far-right extremists trying to accelerate confrontation with federal government, expert warns Canadian law enforcement and outside analyses suggest extremism has been rising in Canada in recent years, however, fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and growing anti-government sentiment. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service told Global News in January that the agency and the government's Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre 'are seeing a concerning increase in the volume of ideological, political and religious extremist rhetoric and activities.' Story continues below advertisement But it said the government had 'effectively managed the threats,' and those planning violence have been 'successfully disrupted.' A report in April from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue warned Canadian extremists were capitalizing on the deteriorating relationship between Canada and the U.S. under the Trump administration to draw people towards their movements. Canada's Integrated Threat Assessment Centre, in a report obtained by Global News last month, said female 'extremist influencers' are using popular online platforms to radicalize and recruit women. Hoffmann said more education on how to recognize and confront harmful behaviour is critical for both the military and society at large to combat extremism. 'It's not something you can catch ahead of time,' he said. 'It's something you need to cut out when you find it.' The Canadian Armed Forces told Global News that culture change is 'an evolutionary process' that remains ongoing. 'It will require incremental, iterative, and deliberate changes to systems, structures, policies and practices that have been in place for a long time,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'More importantly, it will take time. And while we have made great progress, we know that there is still more work to do.' Story continues below advertisement —With files from Global's Amandalina Letterio, Alex Boutilier and Stewart Bell
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Grieving B.C. family appeals for ‘truth and closure' after gang-related shooting
Jaskaran Singh Minhas, 29, is seen in a handout image from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. The family of a B.C. man who was gunned down in a gang-related shooting earlier this year is appealing to the public for helping bringing his killers to justice. Authorities found 29-year-old Jaskaran Singh Minhas bleeding inside a vehicle after responding to a shooting in a Surrey mall parking lot on March 3. Despite first responders' attempts to save his life, Minhas died at the scene. On Monday, his family issued a statement through the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team urging anyone with information on the killing to come forward. 'We are heartbroken parents desperately seeking answers about what happened to our son,' they wrote. 'Since that day, our lives have been turned upside down as we cope with this unimaginable loss.' Witnesses or tipsters could help deliver 'truth and closure' to Minhas' grieving loved ones, the family said. 'As parents, we need to know why this happened and who is responsible. No one should lose their child like we have,' they added. In a news release, IHIT said investigators have made 'significant progress' on the case since March, including by identifying several persons of interest. Dodge Charger Authorities say a red Dodge Charger was used in the planning and execution of the shooting that killed Jaskaran Singh Minhas. (Handout) Authorities believe multiple individuals were involved in the planning and execution of the shooting – but so far, no suspects have been charged. A red Dodge Charger used in the shooting was found in flames the same day in neighbouring Delta, and IHIT shared new details on the vehicle's relevance to the investigation on Monday. The homicide team said evidence indicates the Charger was used 'for planning purposes' in the weeks leading up to Minhas' death, and was determined to be in Abbotsford near the U.S. border and in Surrey's Fleetwood area during that time. IHIT also shared a new image of the Charger in the hopes anyone with information on the vehicle or its occupants will reach out to investigators.
