Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jun 2015
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Langley Times
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Author: Frank Bucholtz

SHOOTINGS GETTING LITTLE TOO CLOSE TO HOME

On Saturday evening, the latest Surrey shooting took place - and it
wasn't too far from Langley.

Shots were fired from one or more vehicles in the 18600 block of
Highway 10 on Saturday evening, at about 10 p.m. Two men were likely
injured - they later appeared at a hospital.

The shots also damaged at least two nearby homes. Highway 10 was
closed for several hours to allow police to investigate.

Unfortunately, when shooting and gangland warfare breaks out in
Surrey, it often has a spillover effect in Langley.

We saw this with the series of gangland shootings in 2009. There was
the brazen murder of Bacon brothers' associate Kevin LeClair in a
Walnut Grove parking lot, and there were two other murders and other
assaults related to warfare over drug turf.

Thus far, there has been just one murder out of almost 40 shootings in
Surrey and Delta. The majority seem to be drive-by shootings, with
gun-toting crooks taking shots at a house, vehicle or people. However,
shooting from a moving vehicle tends to be notoriously off-target,
despite all the TV show and movies that show otherwise.

There was a serious shooting in the Fernridge area of Langley on
Thursday. One man was badly wounded, but thus far remains alive in
hospital. It is unclear if this shooting was related to a drug turf
war.

Langley residents like to think that they live in a peaceful
community. For the most part, that's true. However, Langley is also
part of Metro Vancouver and is situated between Abbotsford and Surrey.
Both communities have had more than their share of people involved in
making large sums of money from dealing in drugs.

In addition, Langley has many secluded rural properties owned by
investors. Some are rented to people with less-than-stellar
reputations, often because they are willing to pay high rents - all in
cash.

There are also a number of low-level drug dealers in Langley, both
City and Township.

Add it all together and there is almost certainly going to be some
trouble.

There is little that can be done to completely prevent such incidents
from occurring. However, a few precautions can make them less frequent.

One is for landlords to thoroughly check out the backgrounds and
reputations of those willing to rent homes from them - particularly
when they are in secluded, rural areas and the prospective tenants do
not seem to have regular jobs.

Another is for citizens to be observant of what's going on in their
neighbourhoods. Police don't mind taking calls that may not seem that
important to citizens. Such tips often can lead to more substantial
information, and in some cases, arrests and charges.

It also makes sense to warn young people of the danger of selling
drugs for others. The money may sound good - the lifestyle comes with
a very high mortality rate.

This community does not belong to bad guys roaming around in fancy
cars, while waving illegal handguns. It belongs to law-abiding
citizens. There are tools we can use to keep it from becoming a
gangsters' playground.
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MAP posted-by: Matt