Friends, family and members of the community showed up to pay their respects at a vigil for Kulwinder Singh Sohi, a stabbing victim who died after he was attacked Tuesday night (April 23).
The attack, which came just two nights after a non-fatal stabbing attack in the same area along the White Rock promenade, east of the city’s iconic pier and white rock, has left the community shaken, according to those who showed up to pay their respects.
“It’s shaming. It’s shaming that no one cares about him on that Sunday incident,” Sohi’s brother, Gurleen Singh Sohi, said at the vigil, referring to the fact he thought more could have been done after the Sunday stabbing incident.
“They should announce the Amber Alert for that man … and he’s still out there somewhere.”
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A friend of the family also spoke, saying the Sohis had sent their sons to Canada for a better life, and now, they don’t want Gurleen to come back (to Canada, after travelling back to India, where the family hopes to be able to perform last rituals in his hometown).
Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock, spoke at the sombre vigil, punctuated with the occasional train and kite surfers whizzing past in the background.
“We’re broken. This is a community that I’ve lived in my entire life, and I can tell you people are, are scared, they’re frustrated and they’re angry, and I’m all those things as well right now,” he said.
“I think we as a community, we’re gonna come through this. This person needs to be caught and put where they deserve, that’s behind bars, and we need to get justice for this young man.”
White Rock Mayor Megan Knight also spoke at the gathering.
“We are just devastated in our community. Like I was telling the family today, this doesn’t happen in White Rock. And were trying to find out who did this in our community.”
She empathized with the family about their loss and said the community is there to support them with whatever they need.
Reaction from the public has been mixed, the mayor said.
I’m hearing 50/50 … some are like, they don’t want to come to the beach. Others are like, ‘Let’s go down to the beach and support local businesses.’ But other people are like, ‘No, this has changed me.’”
White Rock RCMP has increased their patrols of the city’s waterfront and are holding a town hall meeting about public safety in White Rock this Tuesday, April 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at White Rock Community Centre, 15154 Russell Ave.
Knight noted the RCMP’s efforts and also added she has asked Halford to go to Victoria for support as well.
“We just have to make sure we have enough boots on the ground, … and if that also means putting more cameras around and things like that, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
