The family of 28-year-old Yuvraj Goyal said it was a heart-dropping shock when they were notified of his death.
Goyal was found dead by police outside his home on 164 Street and 10 Avenue on Friday morning. He was shot.
“He came back from his gym, (his) daily routine, and he stepped out of his car and he was shot,” Bawandeap said, Goyal’s brother-in-law. “I can’t believe it has happened. It is difficult … we are in shock. It is a loss that can never be filled.”
Bawandeap said Goyal was on the phone with his mother, who lives in India, just before he was shot.
“He just had a chat with his mom about a minute or 30 seconds before he was shot. He called her when he left the gym. Based on the time (of the phone records) he disconnected the phone at 8:45 a.m., and the shooting happened at 8:46 a.m.,” he said. “He stepped out of his car, said goodnight to his mom back in India, then he was shot.”
Charu Singhla, Goyal’s sister, said the family had no idea why he was killed and that he was a gentle soul.
“He was a pure soul, a perfect brother, a perfect son,” she told Global News on Sunday. “I don’t know why … Why did they kill an innocent person?”
Goyal worked at a car dealership in Surrey, something Singhla said he was excelling at.
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“He had big dreams and he was fulfilling them. He was successful, he was very intelligent. He was hard-working,” she said.
Singhla said the family had no indication that he had any ties to organized crime.
The family first found out about Goyal’s death when his friend, also a work colleague, went to check on Goyal when he did not show up for work.
When the friend arrive, police had taped off the entire area. The family then saw on the news the report of the shooting.
“Police called me, he might have put my contact details at his work,” Singhla said. “As soon as we heard, we went to his house and saw the same thing. We were there and we waited for someone to release us information but that didn’t happen until later in the evening.”
Once Bawandeap and Singhla were able to enter the home after getting the house keys from police, they found a sad discovery. Goyal had a several toys and gifts that were unopened sitting in his home.
They believe the gifts were for their children as he never came to their home empty handed.
“It’s love … it’s affection. He knew being an uncle is not an easy job,” Bawandeap said. “These will forever now be unopened.”
According to B.C.’s homicide police unit, investigators are working to determine the motive behind the shooting, as Goyal had no history of any police contact.
Police announced four suspects, who were arrested on the same day of the shooting, and charged.
On Saturday, 23-year old Manvir Basram of Surrey, 20-year old Sahib Basra of Surrey, 23-year old Harkirat Jhutty of Surrey, and 20-year old Keilon Francois of Ontario were charged with first-degree murder.
Anyone with information, including video footage at the shooting or the vehicle fire at the time, is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-4448.
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