B.C. RCMP investigating multiple shootings in Surrey and Richmond

RCMP are investigating five different shootings in Surrey and Richmond, B.C., three of which were on the same day.

Surrey RCMP tweeted they are working on a number of leads — and that some persons of interest have been identified.

The most recent shooting on Tuesday, in the 15900 block of 89A Avenue, sent a man to hospital with non-life threatening injuries around 10:30 p.m. PT.

Surrey RCMP say the victim either drove or was taken to a nearby firehall after the incident  — and from there was taken to hospital.

It follows an attack near 72 Avenue and 192 Street, in the neighbourhood of Clayton just west of Langley, around 7 p.m. PT that same day. No one was injured in that shooting.

Shootings in Surrey, Richmond

Those two incidents happened hours after shots were fired at a vehicle and garage door in the 7000 block of 180th Street, also on Tuesday.

"The vehicle was occupied at the time and thankfully no injuries were reported," said Surrey Cpl. Scotty Schumann in a statement concerning the midday incident. "The suspect was on a motorcycle that fled the area prior to police arrival."

Earlier that same morning in Richmond, police said one person was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a shooting on Waterton Drive near Steveston Highway.

The victim, a 44-year old man, is now in stable condition. 

Richmond RCMP say he is known to them — but has no known ties to gangs or organized crime.

They say the shooting appears to have been targeted.

It comes days after another shooting last Friday, where gunfire struck three homes around the 6800 block of 196th Street, also in the Clayton Heights neighbourhood. 

As part of that investigation, police found weapons, explosives and drug production materials.

RCMP have not yet said if any of the incidents are connected.

'We've never had this level of incidents'

Tom Gill, Surrey's acting mayor, called the spate of shootings an "anomaly."

"Historically, Clayton, Cloverdale has been a safe and secure community," he told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko. "We've never had this level of incidents on any particular day, so it is a sense of concern."

Gill says there's "no question" the shootings are connected to escalating gang violence, which he says isn't just a Surrey problem but a region-wide one.

He says the city has recently made "unprecedented" investments to bring in new RCMP officers but says a more long-term solution requires working across municipal boundaries.

Gill called on the provincial government to add more police officers to anti-gang work and foster communication between various police departments.

"The core issue is understanding why gang violence happens, where does it stem from, how we can be able to be proactive and address some of these issues in the early stages of youth, particularly."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast