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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010
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◗ FATALLY SHOT
City man probably targeted
Searching: Police investigators look for evidence in the Monday night shooting of a 33year-old New Westminster man in the Brow of the Hill area. The man died at the scene but his threeyear-old son, who was with him at the time, was not physically hurt in the shooting.
BY ALFIE LAU REPORTER alau@royalcityrecord.com
A quiet Royal City residential neighbourhood was rocked by a Monday night shooting that killed a 33-year-old New Westminster man. Nelson Ramirez, also known as Nelson Ramirez Guerrero, was identified Tuesday as the man killed. He was dropping off his three-year-old son at the home of the boy’s mother. The shooting occurred around 8 p.m. in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood, near the intersection of 10th Street and Cornwall Street. According to Cpl. Dale Carr of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, the shooting took place in front of an apartment building at 1006 Cornwall St. “It is believed the victim was initially inside the vehicle when the shooting began,” said Carr in a Tuesday morning press release. “At the time of the shooting, the
Larry Wright/
THE RECORD
victim’s three-year-old son was seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. The young boy was not harmed physically and is currently with his mother.” According to Carr, the man got out of the car after the shooting began and was found on the street, approximately nine feet from his car. Carr told The Record on
Tuesday afternoon that the mother and child are going to stay with friends, although it isn’t a police requirement for them to leave the area. Carr added that Ramirez is not known to police in Canada, but police are aware that a person with the same name as the dead man did have some legal issues in the United States.
According to Kim Bolan of The Vancouver Sun, a Nelson Leonidas Ramirez Guerrero was convicted of telemarketing fraud in Louisiana in 2001, for which he received a three-year sentence. He was deported back to Canada in 2004 and still has an unpaid $37,500 U.S. restitution judgment against him, according to court documents obtained by The Sun.
“We’re aware of those issues in the U.S.,” said Carr. “We have to confirm to ensure that this person is the same as the person who was killed. “Investigators are not yet able to make links to gangs, drugs or organized crime. ... However, they are prepared to say that the shooting had all the indicators of a targeted shooting.”
‘Toxic blob’ found under river park site BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
A small portion of the Westminster Pier Park site is home to a toxic blob of unknown origins. A Nov. 8 report to council states that remediation of contaminated soils at Westminster Pier Park has been completed, but recent groundwater testing in the area around Fourth Street has identified a higher concentration of contaminants than what was previously known. The contaminants – chlorinated solvents in the form of dense non-aqueous phase liquid, have been found at depths of 40 to 50 feet.
According to the report, the highest concentrations of these contaminants are located a short distance north of the park boundary, within the railway corridor. “The contamination we found in the area around Fourth Street are a high-risk,” said Jim Lowrie, the city’s director of engineering services. “It’s a high chlorinated solvent.” Lowrie said there are a few options available to address the contaminants that are 10 to 15 metres deep under the park surface. He said they could be excavated out but that may not be the best option because they’re so far underground. “We can contain it and pump and treat
it,” he said. “If it’s not mobile, we can leave it.” Information about the toxic blob was included in a progress report about Westminster Pier Park that was presented to city council on Monday. “The concern is the potential to migrate toward the river,” Lowrie said. “The highest concentration is just offsite in the railway corridor. We are doing additional testing.” Lowrie said the toxic “blob” is about 750 square metres, which is about five per cent of the park property. A previous laundry facility in the area has been ruled out as the source of the contaminants, but the source has yet to be
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identified. “As part of the remediation process, a human health and ecological risk assessment study will be undertaken to asses the degree of exposure to humans and environment in order that appropriate mitigation measures may be implemented,” said the report to council. “Additional groundwater sampling is currently underway to determine if the contaminants are mobile, and to identify the potential source of the contamination.” New Westminster resident Christopher Bell has raised concerns about contamination since the city purchased the ◗Park Page 9
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