Abbotsford shooting has 'all the earmarks' of targeted shooting

A weekend shooting inAbbotsfordappears to haveall the signs of a targeted, "gang-related"shooting, police say.

A man driving an SUV was shot in a residential area in the early hours ofJuly23.

"It certainly has all the earmarks of what we would consider gang-related," saidCst.Ian Macdonald of theAbbotsfordPolice.

"We believe there is a targetedcomponentto this."

Police saidthey hope to learn more after speaking with the 23-year-old victimwho remains inserious condition in hospital.

Officials saidtheman was at the wheel of anSUV stopped atan intersection in a residential neighbourhood near Blue Jay Street and Cardinal Avenue around 2:10 a.m. PTwhen he was shot numerous times.

Police said it appears the injured man attempted to drive away, but crashed, ending up on JodiGarneau'sfront lawn.

"We heard what sounded like fiveor sixsudden fireworks and then a crunch and then the power went out and there was a huge flash of light ... and then a horn and then sirens,"Garneausaid.

Neighbours anxious

"My hope with gang activity is they keep to themselves, as opposed to random violence," said Garneau.

"But my house could be mistaken for somebody else's," she added.

Bullet holes were visible in the windshield of the man's Cadillac Escalade.

Neighbours in nearby homes were also rattled by the shooting on their quiet street.

"Everybody scared, everybody scared right now," saidInderjeetSidhu.

History of gang violence

Abbotsfordhas been no stranger to gang violenceover the past few years.

"A week ago, a month ago, sixmonths ago shootings everywhere," saidSidhu.

"[I]think everybody is scared, kids growing up here."

Last summer, an innocent senior citizenwas caught in the crossfire.

"A man was standing by his fence and he ended up being a fatal casualty of a shooting we believe is part of gang conflict," said Cst.MacDonald.