A man with alleged connections to organized crime is dead after being targeted with gunfire while in his vehicle Monday evening in Newton.
Police in Surrey received reports of a shooting just before 5:30 p.m. on Monday (March 3) in the 7900-block of 120 Street in the Best Buy parking lot. Once on scene, police found the driver of a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds.
According to a photographer on scene, the vehicle had crashed into a tree in the parking lot.
The man, now identified as 29-year-old Jaskaran Singh Minhas, died on scene despite life-saving measures, police noted in a press release.
Minhas was known to police, IHIT stated in a new press release, and is believed to have had connections to organized crime.
Shortly after the shooting, Delta Police officers received reports of a vehicle fire near 64 Avenue and Westview Drive in Delta. It is now confirmed by IHIT's new Integrated Gang Homicide Team that the burnt car is connected to the shooting and is the suspect vehicle.
“This was a targeted, brazen shooting in a high-traffic area,” Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT said in the release. “Those involved displayed a complete disregard for public safety.
“This shooting has the hallmarks of a targeted, gang-related homicide and the IGHT will be taking lead. We believe there are at least two suspects involved and investigators are working diligently to identify all parties. Investigators are currently interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence and canvassing for video.”
The shooting death of Minhas is the first confirmed homicide in Surrey of 2025.
This is the first homicide confirmed in Surrey so far this year despite IHIT taking conduct of a Jan. 5 case where a man’s body was found inside an abandoned house that caught fire in the 9800-block of 138 Street.
“In 2024, there were nine homicides in Surrey. IHIT deployed 10 times but nine were confirmed homicides,” said Sgt. Freda Fong, spokeswoman for IHIT.
Surrey had 12 homicides in 2023. In 2022 there were 21, and 10 in 2021. In 2020 there were 12 homicides; 21 in 2019 and 15 in 2018.
The most the city recorded in any given year was 25 in 2013, breaking the previous record of 21 in 2005.
Since IHIT took over investigating homicides from the Surrey RCMP’s serious crimes section in June 2003 it has to date cleared 206 of the total 364 homicide cases it has investigated in Surrey. That is a clearance rate of 56 per cent. These cases, according to IHIT, “have been cleared by charge, recommended charge, or cleared otherwise.”
As the investigation is in the early stages and continues, officers are appealing to the public for information. Anyone who has details on the shooting or was in the areas of 7900-block and 120 Street or 64 Avenue and Westview Drive in Delta is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.ca.
- with file from Tom Zytaruk
