Less than 24 hours before that homicide, 19-year-old Harman Singh Dhesi had been shot and killed
THE Integrated Homicide Investigation Team on Tuesday afternoon said that Monday night’s homicide victim in Surrey was a 14-year-old boy from Burnaby who was known to police. The shooting is believed to be a targeted incident and investigators will be working to determine motive.
Meanwhile, CTV Vancouver reported that the victim was Tequel Willis. His father, David Weisgarber, said Tequel had a hard life and was failed by the system. He told CTV News that the teenager had been living with his mom in Burnaby. Weisgarber admitted he knew his son was on the wrong path, but couldn’t get him the help he needed in spite of all his efforts.
[Tequel Willis Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/willistequel/?hl=en]
On December 28, at around 7:30 p.m., a shooting occurred near 148A Street and 110th Avenue in Surrey. Emergency responders arrived on scene to find a 14-year-old male dead with gunshot wounds. He had arrived in the area by taxi.
IHIT Sgt. Frank Jang said that no one else was harmed as a result of this incident and the taxi driver is cooperating with the investigation. A dark sedan was seen quickly leaving the area after the shooting.
At around 8 p.m., a vehicle on fire in the area of 214th Street and 76th Avenue was reported to the Langley RCMP. Investigators are working to determine if this vehicle is related to the Surrey homicide.
“IHIT will be working closely with the other I-Teams, the Surrey RCMP, the Langley RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service to further the investigation,” said Jang. “It has been a busy past 24 hours for IHIT as we continue to push ahead on the latest cases.”
“Most of us cannot begin to fathom that someone as young as 14-years-old could be shot and murdered; it’s very disturbing,” said Sgt. Elenore Sturko, Surrey RCMP Media Relations Officer. “There will be an overt presence of police in the community with an increased number of officers conducting targeted enforcement across the city.”
LESS than 24 hours before that homicide, 19-year-old Harman Singh Dhesi had been shot and killed.
On Sunday, December 27, just after 10:30 p.m., Dhesi, who was known to police, was found inside his vehicle with gunshot wounds in Surrey in the area of 137A Street and 90th Avenue with gunshot wounds. He later succumbed to his injuries.
IHIT is investigating with the assistance of the Surrey RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service. The I-Teams from the Lower Mainland RCMP have also been called out to assist with evidence gathering.
The shooting is believed to be a targeted incident. Investigators will be working to determine motive. IHIT later clarified that Dhesi, however, did not have a criminal record.
“The initial phase of any investigation is critical for us as we move quickly to secure time-sensitive and perishable evidence,” said Jang. “We are appealing to anyone with dash cam video to secure the footage and to contact us immediately.”
IHIT later tweeted that a burning vehicle was found in the area of 176th Street and Ford Detour Road in Pitt Meadows at 1:55 a.m.. “Working to determine if it’s related to our homicide,” it added.
Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551- IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
