Fatal Delta shooting gang related: police

Delta police have identified the man shot dead Monday night and called the latest gun violence in Metro Vancouver a targeted, "gang-style shooting."

Sukhwinder Dhaliwal, 32, of Abbotsford, was already dead when officers found him outside his 2005 grey Cadillac, Const. Sharlene Brooks said Tuesday.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

The shooting took place in the 11800 block of Highway 10 near the Delta Golf course. Officers were called to the scene after a 911 call was made at about 6:40 p.m.

Brooks did not provide information on Dhaliwal's background — whether he had links to gangs or was involved in gang activities.

"The initial indications, as the Delta police continue with their investigation, are that this fatality is a result of a targeted hit and would describe this as a gang style shooting," she said in a news release.

People who may have seen anything suspicious at the scene between 6 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. Monday are asked to contact Delta police, she said.

Brooks did not say whether investigators have any leads on who was behind the shooting.

Metro Vancouver has been plagued by about 20 shootings over the last several weeks, nine of them fatal.

Tougher sentences were included in the anti-gang legislation the federal government tabled last Thursday to deter crime and gun violence.

During his visit in Vancouver last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stressed that changes to the Criminal Code are necessary to ensure violent criminals face strong penalties.