A Maple Ridge man with connections to organized crime was shot to death in Surrey on Thursday.
Hershan ‘Shawn’ Bains, 36, was found in his vehicle just after 8 p.m., when Surrey RCMP was asked to check the well-being of a man who was unresponsive in his vehicle in the 7400-block of Sinclair Crescent.
He had sustained injuries that appeared to be gunshot wounds. The investigation was deemed a homicide and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team took over.
It is early in the investigation, but police say the Bains shooting appears to have been targeted.
Bains had a criminal past that included a murder investigation after a 2009 shooting. A second-degree murder charge against him was stayed in New Westminster Supreme Court in 2012, bringing court proceedings to an end three years after Steve Nagra was fatally shot.
On May 28, 2009, Nagra drove himself to Ridge Meadows hospital in a black SUV peppered with bullet holes, and suffering from a gunshot wound. The 29-year-old Nagra collapsed in emergency, and died the next day.
That shooting took place in the residential neighbourhood of 11400-block of Maple Crescent in Maple Ridge.
A month later, Bains was arrested by RCMP, who said at the time he was known to police for “his continued association with organized crime figures.”
Neil MacKenzie, with B.C.’s criminal justice branch, said in 2012 the case against Bains could not be proven, and evidence revealed he was not the only individual who was potentially responsible for the murder.
In order to obtain a conviction, MacKenzie said Crown would have had to prove Bains was the person who shot Nagra, or was in some way a party to the offence.
“The Crown is not in a position to prove either of those,” he added.
Before he was murdered, Nagra had a criminal record going back 10 years. He was known around Maple Ridge as a street-level drug dealer. He had convictions for several violent offences, including pointing a firearm and uttering threats.
It is unknown if Thursday's killing of Bains is linked to other recent shootings in Surrey, or the murder of Karanpartap Wariach, which occurred on Jan. 23.
“This homicide is believed to be a targeted act, and there are people who have information about what occurred," said Cpl. Meghan Foster of IHIT. "It’s imperative that they step forward and contact police so that those responsible are held accountable.”
• Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).