An 85-year-old man in Burnaby has died in what police believe was an innocent victim struck by a stray bullet while inside his home.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said that just after 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 30, they received a report of shots fired near 18th Avenue and Humphries Avenue.
When police arrived, they did not find any injured victims or suspects, IHIT said. However, at approximately 4 p.m. that day, Burnaby RCMP received a request to do a wellness check on a person in an apartment in the 7400-block of Kingsway, approximately one block from where the shots fired call came in.
Police entered the apartment and located an 85-year-old man who had suffered a gunshot wound and was subsequently pronounced deceased.
Preliminary findings led investigators to believe the man was an innocent victim who was struck by a stray bullet from the earlier shots-fired incident and he has been identified as Mr. Chang Yong Cho.
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“This is a heartbreaking and tragic loss of life. Mr. Cho was simply in his home when his life was suddenly taken, leaving behind a grieving family and loved ones,” Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT said in a release.
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“Our investigators have identified a group of youths believed to be involved or have knowledge of the shooting, and we have been actively working to locate them to establish the roles of everyone involved. We are urging these youths to come forward and speak with investigators. We are also appealing directly to their parents: if you know your child has information about this shooting, please encourage them to do the right thing and come forward. The Cho family deserves answers.”
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IHIT is seeking witnesses and anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage from the area of 18th Avenue and Humphries Avenue between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Aug. 30.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email [email protected].