British Columbia

Surrey RCMP investigating third shooting in 3 days

Surrey RCMP are investigating the area of 86A Avenue and 140th Street this afternoon after receiving reports of shots fired around 1:55 p.m. PT.

One man with a gunshot wound was taken to hospital with what police believe are non-life threatening injuries

Surrey RCMP have blocked off an area that includes this black BMW. The window on the passenger side is shattered. (Mark Gryski/CBC)

A man is in hospital with a gunshot wound after shots were fired in the area of 86A Avenue and 140 Street in Surrey, Monday afternoon.

Surrey RCMP says the man's injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Police responded  around 1:55 p.m. PT. to calls of shots fired in the area.

A black BMW was found at the scene with its passenger and driver's-side rear window shattered.

Police say they believe this is a targeted incident.

It's the third time in as many days there has been a shooting in Surrey.

Police say the more recent shootings are the result of a new drug conflict and are unrelated to the drug turf war last spring that led to dozens of shootings in the city.

Calls for better prevention

The majority of gang-related shootings happen at night, according to police, but the latest shooting happened in a residential area in broad daylight. That has some residents calling for even more enforcement.

"Residents want to know when is this going to end. It's tough to go about doing things in the Surrey when you're fearful of getting shot," said Doug Elford from the Newton Community Association.

Police say Monday afternoon's shooting was targeted. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

Ninety-three of 100 RCMP officers promised for B.C. are now working in Surrey but one criminologist says more enforcement isn't necessarily the answer.

"It's very difficult to arrest your way out of those problems. What's better is to change the morality or to change the thinking of people at those locations," said Irwin Cohen, RCMP Research Chair in Crime Reduction at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Police need to take a preventative approach to problems such as gang and drug-related violence, he said.

"If we can go in with prevention measures, or education, to change the values of people around certain kinds of crime behaviours, again, it can go a long way."

MAP: 140 St & 86a Ave

With files from Jesse Johnston