2 men 'in the wrong place at the wrong time' in Surrey slayings: police

Two of the six men found dead Friday in an apartmentinSurrey, B.C., were innocent bystanders caught in a gang-style slaying, the RCMP said Tuesday, as relatives and friends spoke of how well-liked the pair were.

Chris Mohan, 22, of Surreyand Edward J. Schellenberg, 55, of Abbotsford got caught "in the wrong place at the wrong time," when the killings took place at a 15th floor unit, police said.

Mohan was a fun-loving young man who wanted to become a fitness trainer, said his cousin Shiris Nand.

"The loss of Christopher Mohan was a great tragedy and the family is still in a state of shock and disbelief," Nand said Tuesday on behalf of the Mohan family.

Tributes poured in for Mohan on a Facebook memorial site, where friends remembered him as a happy guy who always had a smile on his face.

Mohan, a shelf stocker at a liquor store,was born and raised in Surrey, went to Queen Elizabeth Secondary School and had been living on the 14th floor at the Balmoral Tower at 9830 East Whalley Ring Road.

Last week, he moved to a bigger suite on the 15th floor, where the slayings took place at Apt. 1505, police said.

Families ask for privacy

The families of Mohan and Schellenberg requested privacy to grieve their losses.

Jim Penner, the pastor at Immanuel Fellowship Baptist Church where Schellenberg attended, described him as "a deeply loved husband, father and brother to many."

"Ed gave tirelessly to church, friends and neighbours,"said Penneron behalf of the Schellenberg family. "He was a cheerful, well-respected businessman, a handy man and an outdoors enthusiast."

Schellenberg was an active member of the church and friends told CBC News he was always doing something to help out everything from ushering at the church to weeding in the garden outside.

"Ed would have have come out in the middle of the night in the worst storm in the Fraser Valley and helped you," said Glenn Spratt, a family friend.

Schellenberg, a gas repair man, was servicing fireplaces in the Balmoral Tower on Friday. His nephew was apprenticing with him that day.

"[Schellenberg] released that family member to go home from work because he was finished and Ed assumed the responsibility of finishing the work and that was the last contact he had," Penner said.

That last job is what took Schellenberg to the 15th floor, he said.

A memorial service called "the celebration of Ed's life" is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday, Penner said.

48 detectives investigating

Police have made noarrests in thecase so far. Theyappealed to the public, including those active in gang and criminal activities, to come forward with any information about the person or persons behind the killings.

"The nature of the murders leaves us with the opinion this incident is not a random event," said Chief Supt.Fraser MacRae of the Surrey RCMP detachment.

Six teams with a total of 48 detectives have been assigned full time to the investigation, with more than 150 officers from various departments supporting it, police said.