The 40 hours it took Richmond RCMP to inform the public of basic details of a gang-related shooting late Friday night near Dover Park is just one more example of why the City of Richmond ought to look seriously at its own municipal police force, according to Coun. Bill McNulty, the city's public safety committee chair.
"It's very concerning. The public needed to be aware of what took place and this is one of the things about the RCMP that really bothers me. They do their own thing for whatever reason," said McNulty.
Presently, the city is researching the implications of shedding the RCMP, from day-to-day police services, in place of a municipal police service similar to Vancouver or New Westminster.
McNulty said he was also the acting mayor at the time of the incident, and yet he was not informed of it beyond what he saw in the media over the weekend.
He said under normal circumstances Mayor Malcolm Brodie is immediately informed of such high-profile incidents and then the information is brought to councillors.
"I was not informed in any way shape or form," said McNulty.
“This is why we're looking at an alternative. This is a good example right here," he added.
Last month Brodie announced that the city is preparing to reveal to the public its research into a municipal police force as early as the end of the year. Should Richmond city council decide to part ways with the RCMP the process would take two years. Brodie has said some police work performed by the RCMP, including homicide investigations, could be kept on a contractual basis.
On Friday, Mounties attended the area of No. 2 Road and Westminster Highway shortly after 11 p.m. and cordoned off part of a neighbourhood adjacent to Dover Park.
Area residents told Global News BC they heard gunshots and an apparent trail of blood was spotted in the area leading to the Chevron gas station.
Meanwhile, police provided zero details on the incident as late as Sunday afternoon. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, the RCMP held a news conference where some of the more apparent details (such as the fact it was a shooting) were announced.
Acting RCMP spokesperson Const. Adriana Peralta further stated the one shooting victim is well known to police and has gang ties. The male victim was shot multiple times and was sent to a nearby hospital where he is now expected to survive.
Peralta also said the victim is not cooperating with the police investigation and that no one was in custody.
She said investigators from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) believe that the shooting was targeted given the gang association of the victim.
Richmond RCMP spokesperson Dennis Hwang said the delay was "to make sure the information was correct and didn't jeopardize the operation."
When asked if such a delay is normal, Hwang said information is released on a case-by-case basis and in this case police knew the public wasn’t at risk due to the shooting’s targeted nature.
No details of the gang were released but the Vancouver Sun reported — via its own sources — on Monday the victim is 33-year-old Matin Bin Laden Pouyan, who is also believed to have been involved in a 2007 shootout in Dover Park.
The Sun reported Pouyan has been sentenced to prison on four separate occasions, even after being given a lifetime firearms ban.
On Sunday, Peralta reemphasized the RCMP's commitment to community safety.
“The individuals involved did so with zero regard for the residents in the surrounding area. We want to stress to the public that we take their safety seriously and have engaged every available resource to investigate this crime,” said Peralta, who is now asking any potential witnesses to the shooting to contact Richmond RCMP, if they have not done so already. CrimeStoppers can field anonymous tips by calling 1-800-222-8477.
