Police in Metro Vancouver are saying Tuesday evening that the fatal shootings that began on Christmas Eve are not related and are not associated with gang activity.
Five people have been shot since Saturday, with a 54-year-old woman the sole survivor of the violence. Four of the five shootings have taken place in Surrey.
"We're talking about four events that are absolutely unrelated," Supt. Dan Malo with the Integrated Homicide Investigation team told CTV British Columbia.
"This isn't a trend, this isn't what we saw in 2008, 2009. This isn't gangs out shooting each other; it just happens that these four happened over a period of four days."
The most recent shooting claimed the life of a man in his 20s, whose body was found in the 9500 block of 125th Street in Surrey. Neighbours had reported hearing gunshots around 7:30 a.m.
Less than 12 hours earlier, a 38-year-old man was found dead in the driveway of his Langley home.
Police were called to a home in the 9100 block of 207th Street at around 9 p.m. and found the victim lying next to a car that had bullet holes in the driver's-side window.
Vancouver Police Staff Sgt. Bruce Anderson called the string of shootings "extremely unusual."
"What the reasoning is, or if there is a specific reason, it's unknown at this time," he told The Canadian Press. "But this is unheard of."
The shootings began on Christmas Eve, when 28-year-old Bradley McPherson was shot and killed at a house party in Surrey.
His mother released a statement saying her son "was in no way involved in illegal activity," a fact police have confirmed.
On Christmas Day, Alok Gupta was killed while working a shift at Ken's Grocery on 96th Avenue in Surrey. The 27-year-old man had offered to work on Christmas so the shop's owner could spend the holiday with his family.
A fifth victim of the recent shootings, a 54-year-old woman, was found early Christmas Day at an apartment near King George Boulevard and University Drive suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Her injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
Police have not linked any of the shootings to organized crime or drug activity.
The shootings come at a time when Surrey's homicide rate has been on the decline. About 18 murders occur in the city on average. However the total for 2011 was at nine before the first of the most-recent shootings on Christmas Eve.
"Our first reaction, of course, is one of shock. Surrey tends to have a very young population and unfortunately crime tends to be in that younger age cohort," long-time Surrey municipal Coun. Martin Hunt said.
Police said that there have been 31 homicides in Metro Vancouver this year, which is seven fewer than last year.
Investigators ask that any members of the public with information about any of the incidents to contact police, either the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team at 1-877-551-4448 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shaheed Devji
