RCMP say the suspect in a road rage attack in Mission was killed in what’s believed to be a gang-related shooting in Langley last weekend.
Police say on Sunday, Sept. 8, around 10 a.m., a 20-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were assaulted with a baseball bat at the intersection of Bakerview Avenue and Cedar Street after they had reportedly been followed out of a Tim Hortons drive-through.
Mounties say two adults in a grey Honda Civic had honked at a black Chevrolet Malibu in front of them that did not move forward in the drive-through line-up. The Malibu exited the line-up and allegedly waited for the Civic to exit, drove up beside it, and a “female occupant of the Malibu threw her coffee cup at the Civic.” The occupants of the Malibu then followed the Civic for about two kilometres.
“The occupants of the Malibu got out and assaulted both occupants of the Civic with a baseball bat, before getting back into the Malibu and driving off,” Mounties said.
The two alleged victims, 20-year-old Carson Asher and 21-year-old Sam Parkhill, were taken to hospital with “significant but non-life-threatening injuries.”
On Saturday, Sept. 21, Mounties responded to shots fired in the area of 196 Street and 84 Avenue at around 6:30 p.m.
First responders found two men suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived, police say.
One of the victims died at the scene.
In an update Friday, Mission RCMP confirmed the man who died in Langley, 38-year-old Johnathan Hebrada-Walters from the Edmonton area, is the same man suspected of the road rage incident in Mission.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says it believes the homicide was related to the ongoing gang conflict in B.C., but aside from Hebrada-Walters’ involvement, the two incidents are not related.
Corp. Harrison Mohr of the Mission RCMP tells 1130 NewsRadio that Hebrada-Walters was identified shortly after police had access to the video of the Mission attack.
“We were able to link him fairly quickly. He is well known to police, but mainly more in Alberta and the other prairie provinces. He is not very well known to police in B.C.,” said Mohr.
Mohr says the RCMP is still looking for the other suspect in the road rage incident, who has been identified as Amber Jenelle Toews — also of Alberta.
“And we’re certainly asking that if the public does see her, they call 911 — do not approach her. And anyone with information that could help to locate Amber, please call Mission RCMP or your local police.”
According to the last update from Langley RCMP and IHIT, the second victim of the shooting was taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
In that case, IHIT is asking for anyone with CCTV or dashcam in the areas of 196 Street/84 Avenue and 208 Street/78 Avenue, between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
On Sept. 10, Asher and Parkhill told CityNews they were healing but slowly, with Parkhill needing ongoing medical attention.
At the time, the couple said they no longer felt safe in their hometown.
—With files from Aastha Pandey-Kanaan, Emma Crawford, and Srushti Gangdev