85-Year-Old Killed by Stray Bullet in Burnaby Home; Police Seek Youth Group

An 85-year-old man was killed by a stray bullet inside his Burnaby apartment on Aug. 30, police confirmed Tuesday. Chang Yong Cho was found dead around 4 p.m. after a well-being check at a Kingsway apartment complex, about one block from where shots were fired earlier that morning.

Burnaby RCMP responded to reports of gunfire near 18th Avenue and Humphries Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. The suspect vehicle fled before officers arrived, and no victims were found at the scene. Hours later, officers entered Cho's unit and discovered he had suffered a gunshot wound.

“We are urging these youths to come forward and speak with investigators. We are also appealing directly to their parents: if you know your child has information about this shooting, please encourage them to do the right thing and come forward. The Cho family deserves answers.”

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said preliminary findings indicate Cho was an innocent victim struck by a stray bullet from the earlier incident. This is the first public release IHIT has issued about the shooting.

Sgt. Freda Fong said investigators have identified a group of youth believed to be involved or to have knowledge of the shooting. Police are actively working to locate them and determine each person's role.

IHIT is urging the youths to come forward and appealing directly to their parents to encourage cooperation. The agency is also seeking witnesses and any dashcam or CCTV footage from the area.

Cho's death adds to a pattern of stray-bullet shootings in Canada. At least nine people have been hit in the past decade, and more than 30 since the 1990s, with at least 16 fatalities, according to police and media reports.