SURREY 鈥� Police investigated Surrey鈥檚 first shooting of the year early Thursday morning in Cloverdale.
Surrey Mounties were called to the 17400-block of 64th Avenue on a report of shots fired at about 3:30 a.m.
Police said a man was taken to hospital with serious injuries that are not considered to be life-threatening. At press time there was no description of the suspects, who took off in a vehicle before police got there.
Police believe it was 鈥渢argeted鈥� but said Thursday morning it鈥檚 too early to say it was related to drugs or other shootings.
A witness at the scene said the victim鈥檚 vehicle crashed into a pole in near the Shell gas station after being shot at. A white BMW that was towed away appeared to have a bullet hole near the driver鈥檚 side door frame, the witness said.
According to one Chevron gas station attendant, who didn鈥檛 want to give her name, Surrey RCMP was on scene before she arrived for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. They were investigating an 鈥渁ccident鈥� across the street.
She said that she thought it had been a car accident, and only learned that it may have been a shooting by reading news reports online.
鈥淚鈥檓 thinking maybe the shooting happened, and [it] caused the accident,鈥� she said, shrugging. 鈥淎pparently the [driver] was taken to the hospital with injuries.鈥�
There were 59 shootings in Surrey during 2017, compared to 61 in 2016 and 88 in 2015.
In November, Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was in Surrey to announce at the B.C. RCMP (E Division) headquarters on Green Timbers Way that the Canadian government will spend $327.6 million over five years 鈥� and $100 million every year after that 鈥� to .
鈥淭oo many young people have been killed and too many communities have been marred by gun crime and gun violence,鈥� Goodale said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be this way.鈥�
With file from Samantha Anderson
