A recent spate of shootings in Surrey – four people have been killed in 36 hours – has prompted the city's top cop to reassure residents that their safety is not at risk.
Acknowledging that some residents may be fearful after the shootings, Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said, in a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, that all four murders are gang-related.
Residents are safe, he said, because "the overwhelming majority of (Surrey) residents are law-abiding citizens with no involvement with criminal activity."
Fordy said the violence is restricted to those involved in illegal activities, as is the case not just in Surrey but other cities, too.
"There is nothing glamourous about life in the underworld of crime," he said. "This is not television – the harsh reality is being played out here and now and is a testament to the fact that the life expectancy of anyone involved in criminal gangs is very short.
“If you involve yourself in this level of criminal activity, the likelihood of you ending up dead in a ditch or in jail is very high – I would say it is inevitable."