The man killed in the middle of the day underneath the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver has been identified as Amandeep Manj.
Manj, 35, was shot and died in the third level of the parkade Wednesday, Sept. 16. Vancouver Police Department (VPD) spokesperson Tania Visintin says Manj was found by hotel staff in a vehicle and police arrived at the scene around 3:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Investigators do believe this was a targeted shooting," Visintin said during a press conference Thursday morning. "However, given the time of day and where the victim was found it's obviously very concerning to us."
Now police are looking for witnesses or dashcam footage of the homicide and area at the time of Manj's death. They're also warning the public to be vigilant in case there is a response to the shooting.
"We also know that when a shooting of this nature does occur it always poses the risk of a retaliation and that's where public safety does come into risk; there always could be innocent bystanders," Visintin said.
Potentially connected to the murder downtown is a car arson in East Vancouver.
"Additionally, earlier this morning witnesses called police to report a vehicle on fire in East Vancouver near Charles and Penticton streets," Visintin says. "Our investigators are working to determine if there's a connection between that arson and the murder from last night."
Recently it's been common for cars used in gang violence to be dumped and set on fire after the violent incident.
While police say the incident has all the hallmarks of a targeted shooting, they aren't certain if Manj's death is part of the wider, ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict that saw several murders earlier this year. Visintin noted Manj had a history with police and gangs, but wouldn't say he was an active member currently.
She did say it's concerning that this incident happened in the middle of the day.
"It's very, very concerning to have this type of reckless behaviour happen in our city in broad daylight," she said. "I think that years ago things like this may have happened in the middle of the night, but we're starting to see more of this stuff happening at all times of day, which just shows the reckless behaviour of these individuals and how they have no regard for the safety of innocent people."
Anyone who may be a witness or may have footage of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel parkade from yesterday, Sept. 15, is asked to get in contact with the VPD. The VPD’s Homicide Unit is at 604-717-2500 and there's Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
