Surrey police are investigating after shots were fired at a café, recently opened by a well-known Indian entertainment star, in the Newton neighbourhood early Thursday morning.
The Surrey Police Service (SPS) says it was called to Kap’s Café on 120 Street near 84 Avenue around 1:30 a.m.
Officers found evidence of shots fired in the direction of the business.
Kapil Sharma, a stand-up comedian, television host, actor, and singer, announced the opening of the Surrey café on social media Tuesday.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kapil Sharma (@kapilsharma)
A post shared by Kapil Sharma (@kapilsharma)
Staff Sgt. Lindsay Houghton says the property was damaged while it was occupied.
“There were people — workers inside. The business was closed. Fortunately, no one inside was injured,” said Houghton.
He says it’s too early to determine motives or identify suspects.
“Anytime bullets are flying indiscriminately and brazenly, whether it’s the middle of the night or the middle of day, the chances of someone getting hurt are very high, and we’ve been very lucky and fortunate so far that no one’s been injured or killed.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the SPS non-emergency line at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 25-57153 (SP).
The incident comes amid heightened fears in the South Asian community after some people and business owners have been targeted by attempted extortion.
While it’s too early to tell if Thursday’s shooting is connected to the extortion threats, Houghton says he understands the public’s worry.
“We know that these crimes are probably underreported. We know that there is a stigma attached to them. In some cases, people may be reluctant to phone police. We need that information, even that smallest piece of information, a licence plate, a suspect description, may be that break in a case that our investigators need.”
