Vancouver police and the provincial gang unit say a series of recent arrests and gun seizures have dismantled a violent Lower Mainland crime group.
Officers with Vancouver police and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) recently seized four guns, arrested seven individuals and have recommended 20 criminal charges as part of Project Temper — an initiative aimed at tackling the increase in targeted violence in the Lower Mainland.
“Project Temper, a gang violence suppression operation, has resulted in the dismantling of the Gill Group,” Vancouver police Superintendent Mike Porteous said in a press release. “This violent crime group was comprised of several individuals including its leader, Taqdir Gill.
“We are committed to aggressively targeting people who pose the most risk to our communities, and we will continue to work relentlessly with other partner agencies, like CFSEU-BC.”
Gill, 21, was arrested along with four other individuals in their early 20s and two people who were 17 year old at the time of the offense. The group is facing a number of charges including conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson and extortion, as well as a variety of firearms-related charges.
“Our continued collaboration with the Vancouver Police, the RCMP, and other police agencies in the Lower Mainland, is critical,” said CFSEU-BC chief officer Kevin Hackett. “The coordinated and strategic engagement, disruption, and enforcement efforts that we have collectively undertaken since the start of this joint operation will continue as part of our long-term regional strategy.”
Earlier this year, following the death of innocent bystander 15-year-old Alfred Wong of Coquitlam in a targeted shooting on Broadway, Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer said the region was experiencing a level of gang violence that hasn’t been seen in more than a decade.
“I’ve been with the police department now into my 31st year, and I am a former gang officer when I was a detective, I’ll tell you that this cycle that we’re going through right now is significant,” Palmer told reporters in January.
