DAVID DYCK
The Peak (Simon Fraser University)

BURNABY, B.C. — A 19-year-old Simon Fraser University student was shot and killed in the parkade at SFU Surrey in the early morning of Sept. 28. Police found the victim, Maple Batalia, shortly after 1 a.m., on the third floor of the parkade.

According to Don MacLachlan, head of SFU’s media relations team, Batalia was on her way home after a late-night study session with her friends. She lived only blocks away from Surrey Central, the main SkyTrain station in the area.

Batalia, who was in her second year of her health sciences degree at SFU with the intent to become a dermatologist, was also a model and actress. She had a small role as “Melissa” in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules.

According to RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen, who gave a statement later that day, officers found Batalia “suffering from what can only be described as significant and multiple gunshot wounds.” Thiessen added that the officers did all they could to save the young woman’s life, but were unsuccessful. She died later at the Royal Columbian Hospital.

Thiessen also confirmed that the victim was an active student at SFU. Her father, Harkirat Batalia, later confirmed her identity to the media.

MacLachlan said appropriate security measures were in place at the time of the shooting.

“There were two security people on duty, very close to where the shooting took place, and that’s normal even at that time of night… but no amount of security could anticipate or prevent what happened. If a guard had been on the parkade during the shooting, we would probably have had two victims,” he said.

MacLachlan added that there are security cameras in the parkade, and the footage would be reviewed.

“What’s really awful is the number of students who were here [at the time],” he said.
One of those people was SFU alumnus Kyle Sakai, who was socializing with friends at the time, and left the campus approximately 10 minutes after the shooting occurred. He told The Peak that emergency vehicles were already on site, and there was a crowd of people around the victim, but he was not aware that there was a person lying there. After speaking with police, he and his friends were allowed to leave.

“This is the first time in my six years of being at the Surrey campus… that such an incident has happened in the parking lot, and I’m often on campus until late,” he said.

Sakai agreed with MacLachlan’s assessment that added security wouldn’t help.

“SFU Surrey does not need to concern itself with more security, and it is indeed safe still,” he added. “This incident has not changed my views of safety here.”

Police are still investigating the incident and an arrest warrant was issued for Batalia’s ex-boyfriend Gurjinder (Gary) Dhaliwal in relation to an assault a week prior to her death. He turned himself in to police shortly after learning of the warrant but at press time, no murder charges had yet been laid in the case.

“We are working on the premise that it was quite likely a targeted attack, but we don’t know that,” Sgt. Theissen said in a press conference on Sept. 29. He added that there were approximately 50 officers working around the clock on the case, and they were looking into the family’s allegations that the killer was a jealous ex-boyfriend. He did say that RCMP has no suspicions about Batalia’s own past.

“This was a decent young lady,” stated Theissen.

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Photo: Colin Sharp/The Peak