Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jan 2018
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Kim Bolan
Page: A1

15-YEAR-OLD HIT IN SHOOTOUT DIES

Police chief vows to do 'whatever it takes' to find justice for
bystander

More than 50 Vancouver police officers are hunting for a suspect after
a teen bystander died following a gang shootout that also killed one
of the shooters.

VPD Chief Adam Palmer said Monday he is heartbroken that a 15-year-old
Coquitlam boy was killed after being struck by a bullet while riding
in his parents' car.

"Every time criminals decide to exchange gunfire on our streets, they
endanger the lives of everybody around them," Palmer said. "The events
of Saturday night were reckless, reprehensible and there is no
justification for this type of senseless violence in our city."

The boy had been on life-support since Saturday.

Palmer said the boy and his family were on their way back to
Coquitlam, eastbound on Broadway near Ontario Street when the shootout
began about 9 p.m.

"My heart goes out to the family of the 15-year-old boy. They were
having a normal Saturday night evening out with family and now they
are grieving for their son," Palmer said.

"My message to the family is this: We will not ever be able to fully
comprehend your grief, but the Vancouver Police Department will do
whatever it takes to seek justice for your son."

Melody Li Grey, whose mother taught the boy in Sunday school at the
Coquitlam Alliance Church, said the family took their son off
life-support Monday morning because the damage to his internal organs
from the bullet was too severe. She said she understood he was hit in
his heart, ribs, lungs and kidneys.

"This poor family needs as much community support as possible now,"
she said. "And of course this incident has put gun control and gang
violence at the forefront again."

The police believe video may have been shot during the shooting and
are hoping anyone with footage will come forward.

In a statement, Premier John Horgan said: "It is a terrible tragedy
for an innocent boy to be caught up in this violence. Our hearts go
out to his family and friends."

Horgan said the violence is unacceptable.

"We understand the Vancouver police are pulling together all available
resources to catch those responsible. Vancouver police are getting all
necessary support from the province through the anti-gang unit,
CFSEU-BC. British Columbians are encouraged to assist the police. If
you know anything about this shooting or witnessed anything that could
help, please contact them."

Peter Chevrier of the Coquitlam school district said their critical
response team has been providing support to staff and students.

"It is with heavy hearts and sincere condolences to the family that we
confirm that it was a student from School District 43 who passed
away," Chevrier said in a statement. "To respect the family's privacy
during this difficult and traumatic time in their lives, we are not
releasing the name of the student or the school the student attended."

Rob Gordon, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University, called
the shooting "dreadful, absolutely dreadful."

But he said it's also not something that can necessarily be
prevented.

"It could happen to any of us," he said. "What happened (Saturday), I
think, is fairly unprecedented: a running exchange of gunfire as
opposed to someone coming up to someone in a parking lot."

"People are always after the cure, the remedy," he added, "but really
there isn't one. The cause of the conflict lies in the illegal drug
trade. … We're making some progress in this area," he said, pointing
to the looming legalization of marijuana.

One of the shooters, Vancouver drug trafficker Kevin Whiteside, was
injured and later died in hospital.

Whiteside, 23, has a record for crimes in Vancouver, Burnaby and Delta
dating back to 2013.

In 2016, he was sentenced to 11 months in jail for assault with
weapon. He was also handed a lifetime firearms ban.

In 2014, he was convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking
and got a 30-day jail sentence.

In 2015, he was convicted with a co-accused of breaking and entering a
Delta home, and possession of a firearm.

Also in 2015, he was convicted of possessing a firearm contrary to an
earlier court order and was sentenced to three months.

Sources say that Whiteside was a fairly low-level drug trafficker who
sold his product in the Downtown Eastside.

Palmer said investigators know there was at least one other shooter
involved in Saturday's violence, but there could be more.

So far, the VPD can't say if the boy was hit by Whiteside's bullet or
by a gunshot from another shooter.

"We have dedicated immense resources to this investigation and we will
we conduct a meticulous investigation to make sure we build the
strongest case possible against those involved," he said.

Palmer said the last bystander killed in a shooting in Vancouver was
when Good Samaritan Rachel Davis was shot in 2004 outside the Purple
Onion nightclub as she tried to help a man injured in a fight.

Imran Sharif was found guilty of killing her and Richard Hui in 2006
and sentenced to life in prison.

"I still think that Vancouver is a safe city and this is an anomaly in
the sense that it's been many, many years since we have had a shooting
like this in Vancouver where an innocent person has been hit," Palmer
said. "Vancouver is still a safe place to go about day-to-day life."

- - With files from Patrick Johnston and Lora Grindlay
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt