Konaam Shirzad, Red Scorpion member, shot dead in Kamloops, B.C.
A founding member of the Red Scorpion gang was killed in what's believed to be targeted shooting in Kamloops, B.C. on Thursday.
Konaam Shirzad, 34, was found dead on Hudson's Bay Trail at 7:20 p.m., according to RCMP.
Police said that another 28-year-old man was also found with non-life threatening injuries and taken to hospital.
Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay said both men were known to police.
"Konaam Shirzad and his associates play a very significant role in the local drug trade here in Kamloops and we have had numerous successful investigations into that group."
Investigators found a burning vehicle on Odin Court off of Whiteshield Crescent shortly after the shooting, but officers say they haven't confirmed if the fire is related to the killing.
Gang history
The Red Scorpions were formed by a group of gangsters doing time at a youth detention facility around the year 2000.
During the Surrey Six murder trial gang members identified Shirzad as one of the gang's founding members, and B.C. provincial court records show that he faced dozens of criminal charges since then.
Six people were killed in a Surrey apartment building Oct. 19, 2007 at a time when Metro Vancouver was rocked by a violent gang war.
Years later, the Bacon brothers — Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie — teamed up with the Red Scorpions after their own crime spree in Abbotsford.
The brothers eventually took over the Scorpions, which competed with the Hells Angels and United Nations. Jonathan Bacon, the eldest, was shot dead in Kelowna in 2011.
Investigators said it's too early to tell if Shirzad's shooting is a revenge killing or if the incident will initiate further violence between rival gangs in B.C.
"For someone involved in such a high risk lifestyle and to continue that lifestyle, we find that they do become victim of violence," said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C.
"They become the victim of a murder or other types of violence or they end up going to jail or they find themselves on the run, just looking over their shoulder anticipating that one of the previous two things are going to happen to them."
RCMP are asking anyone with information about Thursday's shooting or the burned vehicle to call (250) 828-3000 or CrimeStoppers to remain anonymous.
