Tuesday November 4, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 88)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
New heights: White Rock father Trevor Johnson (on Kilimanjaro, njaro, at right) takes his first step today up the earth’s highest peak – Mount Everest – in order to raise funds for BC Children’s Hospital through the Summits of Hope Trek. i see page 11
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Brody Paterson, 20, charged 18 months after gangland shooting in mall parking lot
Murder charge laid in ‘targeted killing’ Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
An arrest has been made in relation to the 2013 gangland shooting that killed Craig Widdifield in South Surrey. In a press conference with Surrey RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) Friday afternoon, it was announced that 20-yearold Brody Robert Paterson had been arrested, and charged with first-degree murder.
Widdifield, 28, was gunned down in what police describe as a targeted shooting on April 24, 2013, in the 15700-block of Croydon Drive, at approximately 7 p.m. Multiple 911 calls were made. Widdifield’s body was found in a parking lot, near a toy store and coffee shop, by a walkway leading to the Steve Nash Sports Club and overhead condominiums. At the time, police told media that
Widdifield was known to police “for this lifestyle� and that fact was re-iterated Friday. The shooting was targeted, police said, due to Widdifield’s association with those in the gang world. Shortly after Widdifield’s death, RCMP recovered a Jeep Cherokee. Friday, IHIT Asst. Supt. Dwayne McDonald said that “valuable evidence� had been recovered from the vehicle that helped lead to Paterson’s arrest. More arrests are expected, he added.
“Evidence has identified others that played a significant role in this murder conspiracy,� he told media Friday, adding that it is believed there are others with valuable information that have yet to come forward. Paterson was known to police, said Surrey office-in-charge Bill Fordy, who vowed Friday that both Surrey RCMP and IHIT would continue working towards further arrests in the case. i see page 4
Craig Widdifield victim
Affiliations left out
Errors on ballot draw criticism Tracy Holmes & Kevin Diakiw Staff Reporter / Black Press
Curtis Kreklau photo
A high-speed collision in Cloverdale Thursday night sheared one vehicle in half and sent a number of people to hospital, including a child.
Several passing drivers didn’t stop, according to police
Child ejected as car sheared in half Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A three-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital with significant injuries Thursday evening following a collision that sheared one vehicle in half. The crash occurred around 10:15 p.m. at 168 Street and Highway 10 in Cloverdale, when a Honda Civic southbound on 168 Street attempted to turn left onto Highway 10. It was hit by a northbound Audi A4. Force of the impact ejected the girl – who was
in a child’s seat in the rear passenger seat of the Honda – from the vehicle. Initially transported to the intensive-care unit in serious condition, the tot is expected to be released from hospital sometime this week. “She suffered some pretty significant injuries,� said Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet. The girl’s mother and the two occupants of the Audi were taken to hospital for minor injuries and released. Police closed Highway 10 for several hours to investigate. Alcohol and drugs have been ruled
out as possible factors in the collision. Paquet said speed and weather conditions may have contributed. Investigation is ongoing, and it’s believed there are witnesses who did not stop to speak with police. Paquet urged those individuals to contact the Criminal Collision Investigation Team at 604-599-0502. “We had reports‌ that several vehicles who had to see the crash just kept driving,â€? he said. “We’d like to speak to those people.â€?
A misprint on the Surrey civic election ballots caused a nearly hour-long shutdown of advanced polls Saturday. And it just may result in legal action against the city. “The team is seeking legal advice to see where to go,� said Mike Bose, a councillor hopeful and one of two One Surrey candidates whose electoral affiliations were not initially included on the ballots. Maz Artang was also affected. Bose said he and two others on the team discovered the error just after 9 a.m. Saturday, while voting in Cloverdale. The polls opened at 8 a.m. While the mistake was discovered in the first two hours, Bose said voting wasn’t suspended until after noon. An estimated 200 votes were cast in that time. The polls remained open for an additional 55 minutes to make up for time lost while the ballots were reprinted. i see page 4
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