NRI Pritpal
Virk, 19, shot to death by a rival gang in Vancouver
B.C., Canada, Feb. 06, 2008
Lachman Singh
NRI Pritpal Singh Virk, 19, of Richmond , BC, was gunned down
with a close range about 11 p.m. Saturday in the 400-block of
East 54th Ave. The quiet neighbourhood did not know there had
been a shooting until they heard the police's car sirens all around.
Pritpal Virk was allegedly at a friend's party drinking and smoking
hash late into the night. Virk left because he didn't feel well
which was when he was allegedly shot by a rival gang. He was found
lying on the street at about 11 p.m, was rushed to hospital and
but died a short time later.
The court records show taht a series of drug charges laid against
Virk had been stayed by federal prosecutors.
Last May, he was involving an SUV that plunged into the
Nechako River after fleeing an RCMP road check near Vanderhoof:
- Virk had been charged last spring after the high-profile drowning
of his friend when their rented vehicle plunged into the Nechako
River near Vanderhoof. They had just fled an RCMP road check.
- Virk was pulled from the river and treated for hypothermia.
But the driver, 19-year-old Daljit Singh Sandhu, drowned. Police
later found 170 marijuana plants in the recovered Ford Escape
and both Virk and a third man were charged. But according to
court documents, all the charges were stayed Jan. 24, 2008.
Virk survived and was charged with drug offences. He was out
on a $2,000 bail. ....Full
Story
More than 100 young NRIs have died in drug related gang violence
in BC since the1990s and most of the killings remain unsolved.
Now a special task force have been established that includes
Punjabi speaking officers to help tackle the problem.
