Skip to content

Three Burnaby targets on hit list

The RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team revealed on Wednesday more details about who Angus Mitchell was targeting. Mitchell, 26, was shot and killed May 30 in Maple Ridge after he was confronted by police.

The RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team revealed on Wednesday more details about who Angus Mitchell was targeting.

Mitchell, 26, was shot and killed May 30 in Maple Ridge after he was confronted by police.

Mitchell is alleged to be involved in the May 27 Royal Oak Sushi House shooting that claimed the life of 36year-old owner Huong "Andy" Tran and 34-year-old single mother Chinh "Vivian" Diem Huynh, and the May 29 Gilpin Crescent shooting where Mitchell's former landlord was shot, but survived.

After police went through Mitchell's belongings, they discovered that he had put together a list of six individuals and six businesses he was targeting.

A Burnaby school was on the list, as were a business, believed to be the Royal Oak Sushi House, and an individual, believed to be Huynh.

Also on the list was a New Westminster individual; a Vancouver individual and business/coffee house; a Coquitlam individual and landscaping business; a Port Coquitlam individual; a White Rock security business; and five targets in Surrey, including a group home, restaurant, gym, school and individual.

"The list of targets retrieved from Mr. Mitchell was extensive," Sgt. Jennifer Pound said in a press release. "We cannot put a number to the potential fatalities that could have come from Mr. Mitchell's premeditated plan, as many of the businesses were highly populated.

"The 'list' is not a typical list with numbered names within. It is more of an individual workup for each individual and each business with home addresses, maps of individual's homes and escape routes. We know his plans were methodically thought out and prepared for each target."

Pound said the names of the individuals and businesses will not be released, as investigators continue to sort through the details and pinpoint where the conflict existed.

More details about Mitchell have come out in the past week.

On June 2, Mitchell's family released a statement, through the Vancouver Police Department, expressing their thoughts.

"The family of Angus Mitchell wishes to express our extreme sorrow and heartfelt sympathies to the families of Chinh Diem Huynh and Huong Tran.

"Their deaths were truly senseless. We cannot begin to describe the horror we felt upon learning of Angus's involvement in this tragedy.

"Our thoughts are also with Angus's former landlord, who we hope recovers fully from his injuries.

"The family thanks the members of the media for respecting our wish for privacy at this difficult time."

Also revealed was that sometime last year, Mitchell had a run-in with a Vancouver police officer that led the 26-year-old to file a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner.

That complaint was still active when Mitchell was killed in Maple Ridge.

Vancouver police Const. Lindsey Houghton confirmed with The Province that the file is still active and in the hands of the complaints commissioner, who will have the final say on whether they will proceed with the case or dismiss it.

Houghton said the incident happened about a year ago and was formally filed "earlier this year."

In another development, The Vancouver Sun revealed that Victoria police had seized a firearm from Mitchell in February after he was arrested under the Mental Health Act. Mitchell had taken his gun to a medical clinic in Saanich and made veiled threats.

He was released with no charges. Police returned the gun to him several weeks later without anyone making an application to court to have his firearms licence revoked.

Victoria police contacted the RCMP's National Weapons Enforcement Support Team to find out the process for applying to revoke Mitchell's gun licence.

Police in Victoria have not disclosed what officers did to investigate Mitchell's suitability to get his gun back.