Surrey RCMP investigating third shooting in 3 days

A man is in hospital with a gunshot wound after shots were fired in the area of86A Avenue and140Street in Surrey, Monday afternoon.

Surrey RCMPsays the man's injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Police responded around 1:55 p.m. PT.to calls of shots fired in the area.

A black BMW was found at the scene with its passenger and driver's-siderear window shattered.

Police say they believe this is a targeted incident.

It's the third time in as many days there has been a shooting in Surrey.

Police say the more recentshootings are the result of a new drug conflict and are unrelated to the drug turf war last spring that led to dozens of shootings in the city.

Calls for better prevention

The majority of gang-related shootings happen at night, according to police, but thelatest shooting happened in a residential area inbroad daylight. That has some residentscalling for even more enforcement.

"Residents want to know when is this going to end. It's tough to go about doing things in the Surrey when you're fearful of getting shot," said DougElfordfrom the Newton Community Association.

Ninety-three of 100 RCMPofficers promised for B.C. are now working in Surrey but one criminologist says more enforcement isn't necessarily the answer.

"It's very difficult to arrest your way out of those problems. What's better is to change the morality or to change the thinking of people at those locations," said Irwin Cohen,RCMPResearch Chair in Crime Reduction at the University of theFraserValley.

Police need to take a preventative approach to problems such as gang and drug-related violence, he said.

"If we can go in with prevention measures, or education, to change the values of people around certain kinds of crime behaviours, again, it can go a long way."

MAP: 140 St & 86a Ave

With files from Jesse Johnston