The Lower Mainland’s Afghan community gathered Thursday to mourn the death of a 17-year-old youth found shot to death in the parking garage of a Burnaby housing complex last week.
Hundreds of community members and a large group of students from Burnaby Mountain Secondary School – where the victim was a Grade 12 student – gathered at Masjid al Salaam on Canada Way in Burnaby for prayers at 10 a.m.
The teen’s body was then transported to Chilliwack for burial.
Another prayer gathering is scheduled for Thursday evening at Masjid Umar Bin Khattab in Surrey.
Targeted shooting
The 17-year-old was found shot to death in a vehicle at Lions Mulberry Place (7420 Mulberry Place) near Cariboo Road on Feb. 2.
He was a resident at the complex, according to police.
Investigators believe the shooting – which they suspect was targeted – took place at about 9 a.m.
They are now working to determine if it is linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.
A White Nissan Rogue was reported set on fire in the area of 173 Street and 101 Avenue in Surrey at about 9:15 a.m. on the same day as the shooting, according to police, and investigators are working to determine if the two incidents are linked.
‘Our hearts break’
When contacted, the Burnaby school district declined to provide any information about whether the victim was a student at one of its schools, instead referring all questions to police.
On the day after the shooting, however, Burnaby Mountain Secondary School principal Lee Anne Kristmanson sent a letter to parents saying a Grade 12 student at the school had died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
“Our hearts break for the family who are facing this unimaginable loss,” the letter states. “Our support and sympathy are with them. The loss of a young person is always difficult to accept, and this tragedy is affecting many in our school community.”
The school district’s critical incident response team was deployed to the school, according to the letter, and struggling students were encouraged to speak to a counsellor.
The letter noted that a lockdown at the school on the same day as the shooting was unrelated.
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