The unnamed victim was one of two teenagers killed in an underground parking lot in a Newton apartment complex
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Kal Dosanjh said he warned one of the victims in Sunday’s double homicide that the lifestyle he was choosing would either lead him to jail or his death.
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While the longtime Vancouver police officer has “seen it all,” hearing the news of the weekend killing of his former mentee was still difficult.
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“When you’ve invested so much emotionally into this kid and you’re working hard to keep them on the right track, you see they are achieving success, and it feels like there is a light at the end of the tunnel that they will make it out,” Dosanjh told Postmedia.
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“It just hurts.”
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The veteran officer met the teenager three years ago through KidsPlay Foundation, an organization based in Surrey helping youth stay out of gangs, drugs and violence. Dosanjh did not want to publicly name the victim out of respect for his family, but said the victim he knew was the 18-year-old shot to death.
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The two were introduced by the victim’s mother, who called Dosanjh to get her son connected with KidsPlay, he said.
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“He was dealing with a lot of suffering and trauma,” he shared. “So she (the mother) reached out. She was working two or three jobs to make ends meet and give (him) the best life possible, but she recognized that (he) was easily influenced by the wrong people.”
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The single mother asked Dosanjh to help her son, and for the first while, it was working, he said.
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The teenager was one of two youths gunned down in an underground parking lot at a Newton apartment complex in the 7000-block of 133B Street on Sunday night. Despite the efforts of paramedics, both he and a 16-year-old boy died at the scene.
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The 18-year-old was an active member of KidsPlay for a while, Dosanjh said. He would play soccer with the younger kids, help one girl in particular with her school work, and became an “older brother” to some.
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The organization runs sports programs, presentations at schools and community centres by former gang members to teach youth about the dangers of gangs, counselling services, and more.
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“He had a big heart. He loved these kids, and they loved him. He had some incredible attributes and characteristics where he would have made a tremendous leader in the community.”
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At the same time, he was dealing with “demons,” Dosanjh said.
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Homicide investigators confirmed that both victims at the shooting were involved in the B.C. gang conflict, and had histories with police in relation to organized crime.
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Postmedia learned earlier this week that both had links to the UN gang, and their slayings are believed to be possible retaliation for the murder last month in Surrey of another Brothers Keepers gangster.
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“The other side kept pulling him back,” Dosanjh said. “Those forces are a lot greater than ours, especially when they’re offering him so much more in terms of money and status and wealth.”
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The money was likely enticing for the victim, Dosanjh said, so he could help take care of his mother and she wouldn’t have to work so hard.
