Abbotsford: A bluntly worded letter from Abbotsford’s police chief has been distributed to the parents of men involved in the Townline Hill gang conflict, warning that their sons are in “critical danger.”
Abbotsford Police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said the letter signed by Chief Bob Rich has been hand-delivered by officers in the last couple of weeks to “17 or 18” homes in Abbotsford.
The Townline Hill conflict – named for the area in which most of the dispute has been taking place – began about two years ago and involves two groups of young men, primarily of South Asian descent, battling over drug turf.
Rich’s letter states that the conflict has resulted in numerous shootings and five murders, including the deaths of 18-year-old Harwin Baringh (in photo above) in October 2014 and Ping Shun Ao, 74, an innocent bystander who was killed in September 2015 by a stray bullet intended for his neighbour.
MacDonald said he would not detail the other three murders referenced in the letter, but they occurred “in and outside” Abbotsford.
He would not confirm whether these include the drive-by shooting that occurred on March 10 of this year at a home on Hawthorne Avenue – resulting in the death of a 22-year-old man – or the fatal shooting on Aug. 17 of Gurdev (Dave) Hair on Crown Court.
“Members of these gangs are trying to kill each other,” Rich states in his letter.
“Your son’s life is in critical danger. If he stays involved in gangs, he is at serious risk of being killed.”
The letter also indicates that the gang members are “fighting over who gets to sell illegal drugs in Abbotsford.”
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