Residents at a Burnaby housing complex where a 17-year-old was shot to death this month want to see an "increased police presence" in their neighbourhood.
That was one of the messages Burnaby RCMP heard loud and clear at a neighbourhood outreach session at Lions Mulberry Place Monday.
On Feb. 2, police descended on the complex shortly before noon, after a 17-year-old boy who lived there was found shot to death in a vehicle in the underground parking garage.
Police believe the shooting was targeted, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is investigating.
‘Tragic incident’
On Monday, Burnaby RCMP hosted a Burnaby Neighborhood Incident Response Program (BNIRP) outreach session in the complex’s community space.
“The goal of a BNIRP session is to reach people that have been impacted by a major incident to help reduce trauma and connect people with available resources and supports,” stated a Burnaby RCMP news release about the event.
The two-hour session at Mulberry Place featured speakers from IHIT, Burnaby RCMP’s youth section and the victim services unit.
The topics covered included what resources are available through the detachment, how to talk to others about the shooting and how to process the traumatic incident and related anxiety.
“We would like to thank everyone who came to this support session for sharing how this tragic incident has affected their community,” Burnaby RCMP Insp. Kathy Hartwig said in the release. “We appreciate the engagement from residents and the opportunity to listen to concerns, answer questions, and to connect people with resources they may need.”
'Increased police presence'
"In response to this, we have started additional proactive patrols in the area, which includes officers from Burnaby RCMP’s bike section and community response team,” Mainwaring said in an emailed statement.
The detachment's bike team was on patrol in the neighbourhood Thursday and Friday.
Burnaby RCMP piloted its Burnaby Neighborhood Incident Response Program in March 30, 2021, after a woman’s body was found burning in Greentree Village Park by Garden Grove Drive.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, the detachment hosted a Zoom meeting for area residents to discuss was happened and talk about their concerns.
Burnaby RCMP has since hosted a number of such sessions, some in-person and some online, after particularly traumatic incidents, including the death of a 14-year-old girl hit by a dump truck and two brazen deadly gang shootings.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
