'Heartbreaking': Burnaby senior killed in apartment by stray bullet

Chang Yong Cho, 85, has been identified as an innocent bystander who was shot and killed in his apartment by a stray bullet from a nearby shooting. The shooting took place on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026 around 1:30 a.m. in the area of 18th Avenue and Humphries Avenue in Burnaby, B.C. Police did not find any other injured victims. Photo by IHIT Handout /PNG

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A family is grieving after their patriarch, 85-year-old Chang Yong Cho, was found dead from a gunshot wound in his Burnaby apartment.

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Police believe he was an uninvolved bystander hit by an errant bullet from a shooting near his home.

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At around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, Burnaby RCMP received a call of shots-fired near 18th and Humphries avenues, but the suspect vehicle had fled before they arrived. Police didn’t initially locate any injured victims.

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Later in the afternoon, Mounties received a welfare check request on Cho, who lived in the Hillside Gardens social-housing apartment complex in the 7400-block of Kingsway, about one block from the location of the earlier shots-fired call. When RCMP entered the apartment, they found Cho dead from a gunshot wound.

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The rear of the apartment complex in Burnaby where Chang Yong Cho was hit by a stray bullet. Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2026. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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On Tuesday afternoon, residents came and went, many recalling the sound of gunfire the week before, but most unaware a fellow tenant had died.

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David Ahmed, who has lived in the 162-unit family apartment complex since 2018, said on the morning of the shooting many residents were unable to leave by vehicle because the cul-de-sac on 18th Avenue was closed for several hours.

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He said the police and property management had not communicated with tenants.

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“They did a very bad job, I have to say that. The police have done a terrible job of communicating. I cannot understand it because they did not share any information,” said Ahmed, adding there had been no notices from property management to explain the situation.

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Hillside Gardens is operated by Success B.C.

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Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesperson Sgt. Freda Fong said preliminary findings point to Cho being an innocent victim who was struck by a stray bullet from the earlier shots-fired incident. Cho is being identified publicly in an effort to advance the investigation, as the RCMP have identified persons-of-interest in the case.

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

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“Our investigators have identified a group of youths believed to be involved or have knowledge of the shooting, and we have been actively working to locate them to establish the roles of everyone involved. We are urging these youths to come forward and speak with investigators. We are also appealing directly to their parents: If you know your child has information about this shooting, please encourage them to do the right thing and come forward. The Cho family deserves answers.”

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According to Global B.C., Cho was inside a second-floor apartment when he died.

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Anyone who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from the area of 18th and Humphries avenues between 12:30 and 2 a.m. on Aug. 30, or witnessed the shooting, can call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email [email protected].

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With file from David Carrigg

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