A 35-year-old man was taken to hospital in serious condition following a drive-by shooting in the parking lot outside the Tim Horton’s at Richmond Centre the night of July 29.
Postmedia is reporting that the victim is Robert Kinnear, an associate of the Wolf Pack gang coalition and convicted killer. However, BC RCMP would not confirm the victim’s name when asked by the Richmond News, adding that Postmedia didn’t get the victim’s name from them.
“We don’t have an operational need to release the name, so we won’t be releasing it or confirming it,” said the RCMP’s spokesperson.
In 2007, Kinnear pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight years for fatally stabbing a 20-year-old man in a fight outside a North Vancouver apartment in 2006.
According to court records, a Robert Kinnear is due to appear in Richmond Provincial Court on Aug. 2, having been charged with possession of a firearm contrary to order, and possession of a firearm without license or registration on July 30, the day after the shooting at Richmond Centre.
Police responded to a drive-by shooting around 10:20 p.m. July 29, and arrived on scene to find one victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The parking lot of Richmond Centre was cordoned off for several hours as police investigated.
The victim is “believed” to live in North Vancouver, according to B.C. RCMP Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet, and is known to police, but Mounties don’t know what he was doing in Richmond at the time of the incident.
Witnesses reported seeing a silver two-door sedan driving by, and someone firing multiple gunshots from inside the vehicle. The driver then fled the scene.
Later that same night, a vehicle matching the description given by witnesses on-scene in Richmond was found on fire near Newport Avenue and Gladstone Street in South Vancouver. Investigators are working with the Vancouver Police Department to determine any possible links.
While RCMP haven’t confirmed if the shooting was gang-related, investigators believe the victim was targeted.
Richmond RCMP have asked that any witnesses or anyone driving in the area who may have dash-cam footage to contact them.
