Immigrant gang crime in Canada

The family of Arun Bains — the first person killed in a recent spate of gun violence in Surrey believed to be linked to gangs — says that he was not a criminal. "Arun was not a criminal. He was not a gang member. He was loved by everyone who knew him," the family said in an emailed statement. "This is an extraordinarily painful time. Arun was the heart of our family." The family described Bains as a "fine young man" who had a "bright future ahead of him." He was the nephew of MLA Harry Bains. Surrey RCMP, however, said that the 22-year-old was known to police. He was shot just before 3 a.m. PT Sunday at 126 Street and 88A Avenue in Surrey. Bains is the first fatality out of 23 gang-related shootings in past six weeks. The RCMP has not confirmed whether this latest shooting is connected to a recent escalation in violence between rival gangs of Somali and South Asian descent in the area, but they did say that they believed this was a targeted shooting. Sue Hammell, the NDP MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers, said that Surrey is simply not safe and people living in the areas plagued by recent gunfire are worried and frightened. "You can't have in a community, bullets flying around, and not inevitably have someone killed or hurt that is an innocent bystander," Hammell said.