A man who was hit in a drive-by shooting in a busy Langley parking lot died in hospital yesterday, bringing the number of fatal Lower Mainland shootings last week to four.
Police identified the victim as 26-year-old Kevin Robert LeClair of Surrey.
The victim was sitting in a truck outside a supermarket when several vehicles pulled up beside him and opened fire with machine guns, riddling his truck with around 40 bullets.
RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said the man, who is alleged to have had gang connections, was airlifted to hospital on Friday evening.
“This is another example of criminals dealing with criminals,” Thiessen said. “This is how they do their business, turning a public place into their boardroom and putting the public at risk.”
He said as many as 75 officers are participating in the investigation, and roughly 40 witnesses have been interviewed, but no arrests have been made.
On Saturday, a 22-year-old Port Moody man was released from hospital after being shot in Coquitlam in an attempted robbery.
RCMP Cpl. Brenda Gresiuk said a 19-year-old man was arrested.
In an effort to expose gang members and curb the escalation of violence in Vancouver, the RCMP is asking people who know someone involved in organized crime to call police.
They’re also encouraging business owners to refuse service to known gang members.
