Search for suspect continues after man shot in face in Surrey

The search continues for a suspect after a man was shot at a Surrey bus stop, leaving him with injuries to the face.

It happened around noon along 152 Street near Fraser Highway. The RCMP says the suspect was riding a bike when the victim bumped into him.

“What I can tell you is after a preliminary investigation was completed, the investigation has determined that the individual was shot but at this time investigators are still working to determine whether or not that individual was shot with a real firearm or with a replica firearm,” Sgt. Tammy Lobb told CityNews Monday, calling this a “targeted incident.”

“Without getting into any specifics, we can just tell you that when we arrived on scene, we located a victim who had sustained injuries that were consistent with being shot. But at this point, investigators are still trying to determine, again, whether or not he was shot with a real firearm or with a replica.”

152nd Street near Fraser Highway in Surrey, B.C. (CityNews Image)

Lobb says there was “some sort of a brief altercation between the suspect and the victim” before the 38-year-old was shot at.

The victim was taken to the hospital, treated, and released, Lobb explains, adding that person was then arrested on an outstanding warrant.

“He was brought back to the police detachment and processed for the outstanding warrant that he was wanted on,” she said, adding the warrant was related to weapons offences, uttering threats, and an assault charge. It’s not clear if this shooting has any connection to this warrant.

While the victim was taken into custody, officers have yet to make any other arrests in this case.

“At this point, there’s no risk to public safety, no, because we believe this was a targeted incident between these two individuals,” Lobb said. “I guess what we really want the public to know at this point is that the Surrey RCMP responds to over 200,000 calls for service per year. Yes, this is a very concerning incident when you hear that an individual was at a bus stop, and that there was a violent act that occured at that bus stop, but I think we need to put some context around that.

“Investigators are working to determine what exactly happened before that. Were these individuals known to each other?” Lobb continued.

The time and place of the shooting has some people in the area concerned. The owner of a local business in the area says he hopes the violence won’t deter customers.

“It was shocking and scary that it happened so close,” Gurmeet Cheema, owner, G Cheema CPA and Associates Inc., told CityNews.

The exterior of G Cheema CPA and Associates Inc. in Surrey, a business located near the site of a shooting on Aug. 12, 2023. (Sarah Chew, CityNews Image)

He says this is not the first time he’s heard of shootings in the area, adding he fears for the safety of his staff and customers.

“The violence I think is increasing and it’s not coming under control,” explained Cheema.

However, the RCMP says that’s not the case.

“Any act of violence in our communities is very concerning to us as police, no matter where it happens in our community, no matter what street it’s on or what park it’s on, but it’s important to know that our statistics show that, over the years, our violent crime has actually decreased, especially in public places,” said Lobb.

“We do want to reassure the public that we do believe that this was a targeted incident and investigators are working hard to determine what exactly led up to it.”

The suspect is described as being in his 20s to 30s, with a medium build, dirty blonde hair, and a light beard. At the time of the shooting, the suspect was reportedly wearing a dark-coloured hoodie and dark-coloured board shorts.

There’s no indication this incident has ties to the B.C. gang conflict, Lobb adds.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the RCMP at 604-599-0502.