Getting evidence forward can prove difficult, police say
RAFE ARNOTT/METRO VANCOUVER
Const. Tim Fanning discusses the murder of Kyle Richard Wong during a press conference yesterday at VPD headquarters.
Police solve about half as many targeted gang hits as they do other homicides, Vancouver police revealed yesterday.
Const. Tim Fanning said when murders are premeditated perpetrators do all they can to commit the crime quickly and unseen.
As a result the solve rate is about 35 per cent, and investigations into those crimes are lengthy.
“The gang task force is doing an excellent job of … dramatically reducing the amount of random violence,” Fanning said. “(But) targeted attacks … are very difficult to solve.”
Lower Mainland police have come under fire lately as the murder rate rises — 19 fatal targeted shootings in seven months — while the number of arrests remains at two.
On Saturday Kyle Richard Wong, 20, was gunned down in front of his South Vancouver home. Another man, Nhat Truong “Joe” Tran, 23, was shot dead in the driveway of his Surrey home the previous night.
Fanning said just because a case doesn’t make it to court, doesn’t mean the case has gone unsolved.
“(Investigators) usually have a very good idea who is responsible for the homicide, but getting that evidence forward can be very difficult at times.”
Sometimes the suspect in one homicide becomes the victim in another.
“What’s unnerving is where they happen,” said Fanning. “It can hit any neighbourhood … and just about every corner of the city’s been affected.”
