One year after fatal shooting of innocent teen bystander, Vancouver police release new details

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      A year after an innocent teen passerby was killed in a shooting, Vancouver police have released new information about the incident uncovered during the ongoing investigation.

      Investigators believe that 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside was in the area at East Broadway and Ontario Street near Indochine Kitchen and Bar to allegedly kill 28-year-old Matthew Navas-Rivas of Vancouver, who was at the restaurant with a female friend.

      As the pair left the restaurant, someone opened fire just after 9:15 p.m. on January 13, 2018.

      Three people were injured and two were hospitalized in serious condition.

      A man in his 30s, who was not targeted, sustained minor injuries and was released from hospital.

      Whiteside died of his injuries.

      Unfortunately, 15-year-old Alfred Wong of Coquitlam, who was traveling with his family in a vehicle that was driving through the area, was caught in the crossfire and also died.

      CBC News reported that Wong was a student who took honours classes at Pinetree Secondary School who hoped to study electrical engineering. His funeral was held on January 27, 2018.

      Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan, Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson had all issued statements to express their condolences to the family.

      VPD Chief Adam Palmer was reported to have stated that he was "heartbroken" by Wong's death.

      “My message to the family is this: we will not ever be able to fully comprehend your grief, but the Vancouver Police Department will do whatever it takes to seek justice for your son,” he had stated.

      Although Navas-Rivas remained unharmed on that evening, he was later murdered in East Vancouver in a targeted incident near Nanaimo and Cambridge streets on July 15.

      “This reckless violence really shook our community and we have zero tolerance for it in our city,” VPD Sgt. Heard stated in a news release. “We have been in close contact with Alfred’s family over the past year and have been providing them with information and support.”

      Police seized a red Pontiac Montana involved in the shooting.

      Investigators also obtained surveillance footage of a dark pick-up truck that made a turn into the crime scene at the time of the incident and want to speak with the occupants.

      Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the VPD at 604-717-0515 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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