Police say stray bullet killed Burnaby, B.C., man, 85, in his own home

BURNABY – Homicide investigators believe a personal dispute among a group of youths may have led to a shooting in which a stray bullet killed an 85-year-old man in his Burnaby, B.C., apartment a block away.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says Chang Yong Cho was found dead in his home around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, more than 14 hours after police responded to reports of shots being fired.

Sgt. Freda Fong has told reporters that a group of young people aged under 18 is believed to have been involved and they know police want to talk to them.

She’s urging them and their parents to come forward, calling it a “heartbreaking and tragic” case.

Fong has declined to say how many bullets were fired or where exactly Cho had been in the apartment, or if he was asleep when he was shot.

She said any time young people are involved in a case, police need to exhibit care in what they tell the public, in case the investigation is compromised.

“They know who we’re talking about, and we’re appealing to them and their parents to do the right thing, right now” Fong said of the suspects, adding that the crime was not believed to be gang-related or linked to the drug trade.

Fong said Burnaby RCMP officers had responded to the initial report of shots near 18th and Humphries avenues at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.

A vehicle thought to be linked to the shooting had fled before police arrived and the initial investigation did not locate any injured victims, the statement said.

It was not until Sunday afternoon that RCMP received a request for a wellness check in an apartment complex in the 7400-block of Kingsway, where officers located Cho with a gunshot wound. He was subsequently pronounced dead.

“Preliminary findings led investigators to believe the deceased was an innocent victim who was struck by a stray bullet from the earlier shots-fired incident,” the team said in a statement.

There was no visible indication of the shooting at the apartments on Tuesday.

Fong called the case “highly unusual” and the complexities of the scene led police to delay the “shocking” preliminary findings.

Cpl. Mike Kalanj with Burnaby RCMP said he believed Cho lived alone.

“We’re doing everything we can to find the people responsible for this,” he said, adding that Cho was known in the community as “a lovely individual.”

IHIT said it was identifying the victim in an effort to advance the investigation. 

“This is a heartbreaking and tragic loss of life,” Fong said. “Mr. Cho was simply in his home when his life was suddenly taken, leaving behind a grieving family and loved ones.”

Homicide investigators are looking to speak to witnesses and anyone with dashcam or security footage from the area near the scene in Burnaby between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. on August 30.

Fong said “the Cho family deserves answers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.