BURST
Prominent businessman Baljinder (Binder) Singh Garcha has been identified by homicide investigators as the victim of a fatal shooting in Surrey this week.
Just after noon on Tuesday, a man was found by police lying in the street near a roadway with gunshot wounds, in the 3500-block of 176th Street in South Surrey. The man, now identified as the 46-year-old Garcha, was pronounced dead at the scene.
About an hour before, Surrey police responded to a vehicle fire in the 18900-block of 40th Street that is believed to be related to the shooting investigation, said the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which has taken over the case.
Garcha was the owner of Studio 12 Movies and Photography, Studio-12 Limousine and the co-owner of Empress Palace Ballroom in the Payal Business Centre, a popular South Asian business complex.
According to Studio 12’s Vimeo profile, Garcha founded the small company in 2005, initially running it out of his home. Decades later and the company is filming more than 200 weddings a year, the profile claims.
Garcha was a husband and father of three children, according to social media posts.
“It remains very early on in this investigation,” Sukhi Dhesi, media relations officer for IHIT, said in a news release. “Based on initial investigative steps, investigators do not believe there is a connection to the B.C. gang conflict and are working diligently to understand the circumstances that led to the death of Mr. Garcha. We are asking anyone with information to please come forward and speak with investigators.”
Investigators haven’t commented on whether the shooting was related to the high volume of extortion shootings impacting South Asian businesspeople in Surrey.
Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage from the 18900-block of 40th Street from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and from the 3500-block of 176th Street between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., on Jan. 13 is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.