Surrey Sikh leader’s killing: evidence, not speculation, will lead to motive, IHIT says
Posted June 20, 2023 7:44 am.
Last Updated June 20, 2023 7:46 am.
An emotional gathering was held at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple near Scott Road and 72nd Avenue in Surrey on Monday evening as supporters and mourners came together to remember Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down at the gurdwara on Sunday evening.
The temple was packed as people held prayers for the 45-year-old.
Community get together today at Gurdwara to remember sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who shot dead at Gurdwara parking lot yesterday… pic.twitter.com/8W7V5KAOt8
— Prabhjot Kahlon (@PrabhjotKahlon) June 20, 2023
His death has prompted a widespread and divisive response, including an emotional one from police and B.C.’s premier.
On Monday, Premier David Eby said seeing a shooting at a busy place of worship creates a lot of concern about safety.
“When I look at the speculation that’s happening right now about the motivation behind the shooting and why it happened and all these kinds of things, I think it’s important to have confidence in the police investigation,” stressed Eby. “We don’t want people with access to guns that are willing to engage in violence like this to be in our community. So, finding those people, getting them arrested, and getting them behind bars is a huge priority.”
Eby pointed out he’s aware given the rampant rumours surrounding the shooting, that there may be geo-political tensions from other countries spilling into Canada.
Related Article: Surrey Sikh gurdwara president shot, killed: IHIT
“I think it’s vital for everybody to work together in British Columbia to reinforce the message that here in B.C. we’re a tolerant, welcoming society to everybody and just to make sure incidents like this don’t raise hate, racism, reactionary approaches to different communities and to wait for the police investigation to complete.”
Eby also wants anyone who knows anything about this case to go to the police, and that message is echoed by the province’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT.) The agency leading this investigation says it needs any witnesses to come forward.
“It does appear to be a targeted incident,” said IHIT Sgt. Tim Pierotti. “We’re still looking to speak to as many witnesses as we can to further our investigation. Again, we ask that anybody who was in the area, who has dashcam video, please check that as soon as possible. There are a lot of vehicles that record even if the vehicle is off, so please check that footage and report it to us if you have anything.”
FILE — Hardeep Singh Nijjar on July 15th, 2022 (OMNI / CityNews Image)
He also confirmed IHIT is aware a car was found on fire in Coquitlam shortly after the shooting, but it’s unclear right now if it’s linked to the crime.
Pierotti says the evidence will speak for itself, not the speculation, regarding a possible motive for Nijjar’s killing.
“I’m aware that there are a lot of rumours and speculation going on, particularly online. At this time, we’re driven by the evidence and we’re working hard to speak to every person and collect the facts of this case and we’ll determine the motive that way.”
At this time, police don’t have a suspect description but say once they get that, they’ll release it to the public.
Pierotti said investigators will also be looking into whether there were any threats made against Nijjar in the past. He adds police won’t be revealing what evidence they have already collected, as the investigation is ongoing.
“We’ll be working with all of our partners to determine history,” explained Pierotti. “I would certainly consider CSIS to be a partner. In this situation, I don’t know exactly who I’d be speaking to [or] who the team would be speaking to, but we’d be open to speaking to all partners. If CSIS has information that we can share, then we certainly will.”
RCMP Asst. Supt. Brian Edwards wouldn’t confirm if there were active threats made on Nijjar’s life, or if agencies, including the RCMP and CSIS, were aware of them.
He showed signs of anger when pressed on the senselessness of the daytime shooting.
“I will say this about public safety. I am absolutely appalled that this would take place in a house of worship in the City of Surrey, or anywhere for that matter. It’s disgusting … and as a community, neither the police [nor] the residents will stand for it. So yes, there’s fear out there, but we’re going to be there.”
Mourners and police gathered outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey after a temple leader is shot dead last night. He’s been widely identified as president Hardeep Singh Nijjar. RCMP have not confirmed ID, possible suspects, motive or any arrests. Waiting for and update. pic.twitter.com/uaWYpr9zpu
— Mike Lloyd (@llikemoyd) June 19, 2023
Edwards understands people who attend any religious services are probably worried about their safety.
“How we deal with fear is everybody comes together and makes a statement saying, ‘We’re not going to take this.’ This is a safe community. For 11 years in a row, crime has decreased in this community.”
Police believe Nijjar was killed while leaving the temple alone on Sunday evening, less than an hour before sunset.
Nijjar had a controversial past. He was a well-known activist and pro-Khalistan leader. He was previously accused of terror offences and was wanted by the Indian government which placed him on their list of “designated terrorists.”
