Police search for suspect in Coquitlam vehicle shooting death
A white Kia Niro was seen leaving the scene near 525 Foster Avenue on July 2
Police are asking the public to help identify the driver of a white Kia Niro they say is a suspect in the shooting death of a man in Coquitlam, B.C., on July 2.
Police say 25-year-old Karnvir Singh Garcha was killed in what they believe was an isolated incident Sunday evening.
According to a release, Coquitlam RCMP were called to the area of Foster Avenue and North Road shortly before 9:30 p.m. PT for reports of a shooting.
Police said when they arrived at the scene of the shooting behind 525 Foster Avenue, just north of the City of Lougheed mall, they found a man with gunshot wounds.
Despite life-saving efforts by first responders, the victim died at the scene.
Surveillance video gathered by RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) shows a white Kia Niro arriving in the area of the shooting at 8:31 p.m. and parking at a loading area next to the entrance to an underground parkade, according to a Thursday release from IHIT.
Garcha was dropped off in the alleyway by a ride-share vehicle at 9:19 p.m., the release said
Following the shooting, video shows the suspect return to the Kia Niro and flee eastbound in the alley towards Emerson Street.
Three days later on July 5, police in Port Moody responded to a white Kia Niro that was on fire.
The vehicle is currently being forensically analyzed and the driver is considered a suspect, IHIT said Thursday.
"We are releasing this photo and video, in hopes that someone will remember seeing this vehicle parked in the loading area," said Sgt. Timothy Pierotti.
"If you were in the 500-block of Foster Avenue on July 2 or in the 3000-block of Murray Street on July 5 and observed this vehicle and you have yet to speak with police, please contact IHIT immediately."
Anyone with dash cam video driving on Foster Avenue between 7 p.m. at 9:30 p.m. on July 2 or the 3000-block of Murray Street in Port Moody between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on July 5 is asked to contact police.
IHIT has been deployed to investigate and will be working with Coquitlam RCMP, according to the initial release.
The release said Coquitlam RCMP Victim Services are also involved in the aftermath of the shooting.
With files from The Canadian Press