SURREY (NEWS1130) - The victim of a fatal shooting early yesterday morning in Surrey has been identified as a young woman studying at Simon Fraser University.
Maple Batalia, 19, was a model who even dabbled in acting. She had a small role in the movie
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.
She was obviously loved; dozens of people are offering their condolences to her family on social media sites calling her beautiful and an angel.
Her family is devastated. Her father Harkirat Batalia tells
OMNI News his daughter Maple's a precious jewel and the best part of his life. "God should have taken me instead of my cute, darling child... it's all over... I can't say beyond that."
Police received several 911 calls just after 1 a.m. from people saying they heard several gunshots being fired. When officers arrived on the third floor of the Central City parkade, they found a woman bleeding profusely from several gunshot wounds.
Officers performed CPR on the victim until paramedics arrived, but the young woman later died in hospital.
No arrests have been made, but police say students at SFU should not be unduly alarmed by the shooting. Mounties say they don't yet know whether this was a targeted attack.
"We understand the sensitivity in regards to what the community is feeling, in where this occurred, how it may have occurred, and whether there's a link to the SFU campus," says RCMP Sergeant Peter Thiessen.
One man say students hit the books all night at
SFU's Surrey campus. "A lot of [students] park here and most often stay overnight. There are still students inside."