A woman shot while sleeping in her Surrey home early Sunday morning is now believed to be the first injury linked to an ongoing wave of extortion-related violence in the city, police confirmed.
The overnight shooting happened just before 3 a.m. on Oct. 12 at a residence with several people inside.
According to the Surrey Police Service (SPS), multiple shots were fired at the house from a vehicle, with one hitting the victim while she was asleep in bed. The suspects fled the scene moments later.
When officers and paramedics arrived at the scene, they delivered life-saving treatment to the woman, in her mid-20s, who suffered a critical gunshot wound.
Her condition has since been upgraded to serious but stable.
“We do believe at this time it is linked to extortions,” said Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with Surrey police.
Police say the woman does not appear to have been the intended target, and investigators are now working to determine why the home was attacked.
“One of the primary questions our investigators are looking to answer… is why this house specifically may have been targeted … and if it even was the intended target,” Houghton said.
While investigators are still working to confirm the motive, police say the incident marks a sharp rise in extortion-related crime in Surrey.
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“This is the first time someone has been injured in what we believe is an extortion-linked shooting this year,” Sgt. Houghton said. “It’s deeply concerning… this is Surrey’s number one public safety priority right now.”
According to SPS, 65 extortion cases have been reported in Surrey so far this year, with 35 involving gunfire.
The majority, police say, have targeted residents and business owners including many from the South Asian community, with threats, demands for money, and acts of violence or intimidation.
Police believe that both organized crime groups and copycat offenders are involved and say some may be seeking online notoriety by taking public credit for acts of violence.
“We’ve seen competing groups falsely take credit online just to generate fear,” Houghton said.
Extortion cases began to spike in Surrey in late April and May, part of a troubling trend that mirrors similar incidents reported in Edmonton, Peel Region, and other parts of Canada in recent years.
“And it seems like Surrey and Surrey businesses and homeowners are the targets this year,” added Houghton.
Some victims receive threats via phone, others through social media or anonymous messages. In more extreme cases, properties are shot at or vandalized.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke issued a forceful statement Tuesday, calling the shootings and extortion campaign, “deliberate, coordinated acts of violence,” that are affecting families and businesses across the city.
“What’s happening in Surrey is unacceptable,” she said to Global News.
Locke offered her thoughts to the woman injured in Sunday’s shooting and promised continued action on all fronts.
“My first thoughts are with the victim and her loved ones,” Locke added.
She cited recent charges laid in extortion cases as signs of progress and highlighted the federal government’s designation of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity as a key tool in disrupting transnational networks.
“This is not confined to one group or one neighbourhood. It is part of a broader, transnational criminal threat and it is harming people right here at home.”
According to officials, the city has taken a few steps to tackle the rise in extortion-related violence. The City of Surrey and SPS launched a $250,000 extortion reward fund in September, along with a dedicated tip line for victims and witnesses. The line is monitored seven days a week, with hopes to tackle this underreported crime.
Police are urging victims to save texts, voice messages, and any video or photos tied to threats or damage and to contact authorities immediately.
“No one in Surrey should live in fear,” Locke said.
“To those driving this violence: you will be found and held to account.”
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