YVR gang shooting shows escalating disregard for public safety: expert

RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – A deadly daylight shooting at Vancouver International Airport targeted a reportedly well-known gang member on Sunday.

The incident, determined to be part of the ongoing gang conflict on the Lower Mainland, forced police to take the extraordinary step of closing all routes into and out of Richmond. The 28-year-old victim was later identified by Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Bolan as a member of the United Nations gang who had a history with police.

“This attack was targeted and carried out in broad daylight, with absolutely no regard for public safety, or anyone’s safety,” said Richmond RCMP Chief Superintendent Will Ng.

The shooting on Sunday, Mother’s Day, sent people scrambling for cover shortly before 3 p.m. in front of the international terminal building at the departure level.

BREAKING: No. 3 and Sea Island Way in #RichmondBC at 4:20pm after an earlier shooting at/near the airport. @NEWS1130 @NEWS1130Traffic pic.twitter.com/BxLyDnC7AT

— BEN WILSON (@BenWilsonThings) May 9, 2021

Brazen YVR gang shooting latest in string of attacks on Lower Mainland

Sunday’s shooting was the 10th on the Lower Mainland in just three weeks, and it appears a shooting at a waterfront restaurant in Vancouver last month may have set this off.

The incident at Cardero’s on April 17 targeted a 31-year-old man – again, well-known to police – during the evening as many families were on walks or sitting down to dine in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood.

Someone has been charged in connection with that death, but since then, the violence has not subsided.

Many of the shootings in recent weeks have taken place during the day and in shockingly public settings. Notably, two shootings last weekend both happened at busy malls.

Doug Spencer, a retired gang expert, says recent events have shown a blatant lack of a “moral compass.”

“They’re just shooting at will. Anywhere they find their enemies, they’re going to shoot,” Spencer, who worked with the Vancouver Police Department’s gang unit for nearly two decades, told NEWS 1130 Monday.

In his decades working with the gang unit in Vancouver, Spencer says he’s never seen the conflict escalate to this point.

“I’ve never seen the recklessness of what they’re doing now. They’re certainly rank amateurs to do a shooting at the airport when there’s more cameras than they can count. It’s just ridiculous,” he explained, adding “they really don’t care.”

“It’s almost like they’re living out some board game or something they watched on TV. It’s just crazy,” Spencer added.

"No moral compass at all … anywhere they find their enemies, they're gonna shoot," former VPD gang investigator tells me after yesterday's shooting at YVR. "To do a shooting at the airport when there’s more cameras than they can count. It’s just ridiculous." More on @NEWS1130.

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) May 10, 2021

Experts have said this spate of shootings is likely being driven by young gang members, trying to prove themselves.

Spencer agrees that these recent incidents appear to be carried out by younger gang members.

“They’re really young males getting sucked into doing all this stuff, right? And the reason they’re doing it: they’re expendable,” he explained.

Spencer believes there will be more violence in response to Sunday’s shooting.

“There’ll be payback for sure,” he said. “They have to do that. If you allow any other gang to push you around you open yourself up to every gang to push you around. You have to stand up.”

The very public nature of Sunday’s shooting has sparked increased concern. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and other police departments have repeatedly voiced their worries over escalating violence.

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“This incident is demonstrative of not just the careless mentality and blatant disregard for public safety of these individuals, but an attack against those sworn to protect our community,” Ng said Sunday outside Vancouver International Airport. “This type of disregard and disdain for public safety at our international airport is at the next level.”

Ng believes the gang members will stop at nothing to target rivals.

“Even if it’s at an international airport, in broad daylight, on Mother’s Day, and putting everyone at risk, including shooting at a police officer, which indicates to me that these people have no care whatsoever,” he added.

The man killed on Sunday was reportedly shot at years ago but refused to cooperate with authorities, prompting, at the time, an unusual warning from police for the public to stay away from him for their own safety.

RCMP promising ‘next-level strategies’ to deal with conflict

“I want to reassure our community that we will be taking next-level strategies, not just collaboration, with other law enforcement agencies or our partners, but a multi-pillared approach, which will involve enforcement, education, awareness, and prevention,” Ng said Sunday, urging community members to “step up and also dissuade anyone from involving themselves in gangs.”

He describes these strategies as a “very intentional and strategic response,” targeting those involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Spencer, who currently works with Odd Squad, which delivers drug and gang prevention programs to youth, says it’s important to talk to kids before they get caught up.

“They have to learn at a very young age the reality of that lifestyle. The dead-end road, bullet road syndrome. There’s only three outcomes, right? Death, jail, or drug addiction,” he said. “Most kids think they’re invincible. That’s a given. They think, ‘it’ll never happen to me.’ And they’ll just do whatever they have to do to fit in, right? Or for status, or for money — there’s a multitude of reasons.”

No arrests made

It’s unclear what led the victim to YVR on Sunday. No arrests have been made, but investigators have said they are looking for at least two suspects.

The Richmond RCMP said when officers were called to the domestic departure terminal, they “intercepted the getaway vehicle” and were shot at by the suspects.

“The suspect opened fire on our officer. The police officer’s vehicle was struck, but fortunately, our officer was unscathed by the suspect’s bullets,” Ng explained.

“The pursuit ended at that point once our officer had sustained gunshots to his police vehicle. He did not return fire, knowing that the backdrop was filled with innocent bystanders. He therefore let the suspect go at that point,” he later added.

A burned-out vehicle was found in Surrey shortly after the shooting. The RCMP has not officially connected this to the shooting.