Photo: Alanna Kelly

Vishal Walia died in the parking lot at the University Golf Course after being shot on Oct. 17, 2022.

The three men arrested in Richmond after a collision on Monday have just been charged with first degree murder.

DeAndre Baptiste, Balraj Basra and Iqbal Kang are facing first degree murder charges for the shooting of Vishal Walia at the University Golf Club on Monday, Oct. 17.

University RCMP had received reports of a shooting at the golf club on Oct. 17 at 9:49 a.m., where they found Walia suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. Shortly after at 10:02 a.m., a vehicle fire was reported in a laneway on W 20th Ave. in Vancouver near Crown St. and the vehicle was identified by Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers, according to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).

The three men were later arrested in Richmond for the homicide and vehicle arson after a collision with a police vehicle from BC Highway Patrol and a commercial vehicle on Highway 91. The Richmond News previously reported that the commercial vehicle driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and no other injuries were reported.

After taking Baptiste, Basra and Kang into custody, IHIT took over the investigation and worked with VPD and the University and Richmond RCMP to find evidence connecting the offences. Charges were laid and approved by BC Prosecution Services today and the three men remain in custody.

IHIT had also received support from the BC Highway Patrol, E-Division Major Crimes Section, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Langley RCMP and the RCMP Integrated Forensic Identification Section, according to Sgt. Timothy Pierotti, IHIT spokesperson.

“This timely outcome could not have happened without the unwavering support from our partners,” he said.

“Despite being a multi-jurisdictional investigation, IHIT was able to efficiently advance the investigation throughout the week.”