Family of boy killed in 2018 double homicide pleads for information
Alfred Wong, 15, was killed while in his parents' car on Broadway in January 2018
The family of Alfred Wong, the 15-year-old innocent bystander who was killed in an exchange of gunfire in Vancouver last year, is making a plea for information about their son's tragic death.
In a written statement on Wednesday, Vancouver police say new information has come to light that suggests there are people with key information about the double homicide.
Wong was shot and killed when a stray bullet pierced the car he and his parent were travelling in near the intersection of West Broadway and Ontario Street on Jan. 13, 2018.
Targeted shooting
Investigators say Kevin Whiteside, 23, was in the area to kill 28-year-old Vancouver resident, Matthew Navas-Rivas, who was at the Indochine restaurant with a female companion.
Police say as Navas-Rivas and the woman left the restaurant, another person opened fire. The gunfire led to the deaths of Wong and Whiteside.
Navas-Rivas was unharmed that night. However, he was killed months later on July 15, 2018, in Vancouver in an unrelated incident.
Police say court records show Whiteside had numerous run-ins with the law.
But Wong was an innocent youth.
Friends say he was a kind, polite and hard-working young man. He attended Pinetree Secondary School in Coquitlam, and he was part of a program for gifted students.
Wong's mother, Chelly Wong, says she knows there is nothing she can do to bring her son back.
"We think he deserves justice for his tragic death and we desperately want to know what happened that night," she said. "Without your help, the police may not be able to arrest the killer, and our son will not be able to lay in rest."
Police are asking anyone with information about Wong's death to contact the Vancouver Police Department at (604) 717-0515 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.