[Harvey Specter]

Originally Posted by ws6ta

i heard from a guy who is pretty reliable when it comes to shootings etc lol that he knows the owner of a-canadian and what happened was they were drunk. one guy there decided to pull out a gun and start shooting it in the air for a laugh. he thought he emptied the clip but there was still one in the chamber. he pointed the gun at this mandeep thind guys face as a joke and pulled the trigger. shot him in the face and killed him on the spot. really messed up if thats the case...

That's what the Province is saying....so fucked up. RIP to the victim.

The family of the man shot dead at a Surrey autobody shop late Monday is baffled why anyone would want him dead.

Family members described Mandeep “Mani” Thind, 24, as a happily-married family man and a hard worker who never took a day off.

He worked for a driving company and had no ties to criminal activity, his older sister Pritpal Deol said Tuesday.

Deol said she cannot imagine anyone who would want to hurt her brother.

“He’s a very nice guy, he never fights with anybody,” she said, her voice in a whisper. “He is very friendly.”

Thind was found dead late Monday by Surrey RCMP after they responded to a call at Canadian Auto Body Shop & Paint Ltd. at 134th Street and 76th Avenue.

He was reportedly shot in the face. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday night.

Deol said her family was still in shock as they waited for police to provide details about Thind’s death.

RCMP could not say if the shooting was linked to gang activity.

A family friend said he understood Thind had gone to the autobody shop to buy car insurance.

There was a party at the shop celebrating the birthday of the owner’s nephew, said the friend, who asked not to be identified.

“[A] few other boys join them there,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

“One of the boys brought over a gun and started shooting to celebrate the occasion. Gun was emptied and a bullet in the chamber fired and killed the victim.”

The friend said Thind was from a good family and didn’t drink or do drugs when he lived in his rented basement suite several years ago.

He believes the shooting was accidental. Area business owners said a barbeque was held at the body shop Monday night.

Kankilal Patel said that when he left his business next door to the body shop, at around 9 p.m. Monday, he saw 10 or 12 people drinking and eating in the garage.

This type of gathering is not unusual, he said.

Each summer there are usually several low-key barbeques at the autobody shop.

Police are asking those who attended the Monday night barbeque to come forward.

Jeetu Patel, Kankilal’s son, said that in past years he sometimes saw drug dealers hanging around the shop.

“I did complain to RCMP and they did come and do some investigation, but never proceeded any further,” he said.

The Patels said they have never had any problems with the people who work at the shop.

“They are good people, to my understanding,” Jeetu said.

He said the shop is owned by a man named Bobby and run by a man named Pushkinder.

Deol said her brother did not frequent the body shop, and probably only went there Monday night for the barbeque.

She said he must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The shop’s owner and his nephew returned to the business Tuesday to speak to investigators.

The owner’s Mercedes was seized by police for forensic testing.

Earlier media reports said a white Mercedes was seen fleeing the area shortly after the shooting.

On an online memorial, Thind’s friends pleaded for information last night. “R.I.P Mani. You were an amazing guy who always had a smile on your face,” wrote Robyn Folster. “. . . I can't believe this has happened to you. I saw you not to long ago and you were your happy self. Mani, you were a great friend and I will miss you so very much.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team at 1-877-551-IHIT or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

with files from Katie Mercer
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