The message reiterated by most who spoke was that much more needs to be done to curb gang violence and targeted shootings that have claimed many young lives.
The 29-year-old Surrey resident was gunned down outside the mall last Saturday late afternoon with many innocent bystanders around, a crime that shocked the community.
The B.C. Corrections officer was remembered as hard working and a fun guy who enjoyed making people laugh, but most who spoke expressed outrage at the brazen daytime shooting, urging government, police, media as well as the community in general to do more.
One relative described the act as a brutal shooting and called on gangs to cease the senseless violence, while other speakers urged the community to step forward and not remain silent.
Suchi Sandhu, an organizer with the group Wake Up Surrey, said gang violence must not be normalized.
"The day we are silent, when things matter, is the day we give in to defeat to this gang violence," he said.
Sandhu noted over 400 young people have been claimed in gang violence over the past four decades.
Another speaker called on residents to step up and pressure all levels of government to make the streets of Delta and Surrey safer from gang violence, adding police need help with more resources and officers.
The message was further re-enforced with another speaker urging people to wake up, stand up and do something.
The province this weekend announced funding for 34 projects related to crime prevention, including projects focused on educating youth on the impacts of gang violence, which are receiving $2.2 million. Those projects are aimed to make B.C.'s communities safer and assist high-risk youth in providing them with the tools and supports they need to make positive choices to avoid a life of gang and drug violence.
Delta Police say the Bikramdeep Randhawa wasn’t known to them and that investigators are looking at whether the shooting may have been linked to his job, or whether it may have been mistaken identity or something else.
At a press conference at the mall earlier this week, Delta Mayor George Harvie and Police Chief Neil Dubord said the investigation is a top priority.
The DPD is asking anyone who could have information on the Saturday, May 1 shooting to contact police at 604-946-4411, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The DDP this week also added a new section on its website where the public can upload any videos directly onto the site at deltapolice.ca.
