‘I’m not involved in anything’: Fatal Vancouver shooting shocks roommate

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Chirag Antil finished a home-cooked dinner of kadhi pakora and then played a quick game on his phone with his three roommates, before leaving to join friends to celebrate a birthday on Friday night.

A short time later, an upstairs neighbor came down and asked if the roommates had heard gunshots. The men came out but saw nothing, said Harsh Khatri, one of Antil’s roommates and an old friend.

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It wasn’t until after midnight, when Khatri saw police surrounding Antil’s cordoned-off car, that he realized something was wrong.

The police wouldn’t let him near the car, but Khatri could see someone in the driver’s seat, their head leaning forward.

Kharti said at first she couldn’t believe it was Antil. “It has to be someone else,” he told himself. He showed police officers a photograph of Antil to identify him.

The 24-year-old Indian national was shot dead in his car.

On Tuesday, police had no updates on the case other than to say that the homicide remained under investigation.

Khatri said the two told each other everything and he was sure Antil was an innocent victim.

“He wasn’t involved in anything,” Khatri said. “He never smoked or tried alcohol in his entire life.

“He was the happiest person I knew,” he added.

Vancouver police previously said officers were called to East 55th Avenue and Main Street around 11 p.m. after residents heard gunshots. Several neighbors interviewed by Postmedia News over the weekend said they heard between four and six gunshots Friday night.

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A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she heard two gunshots in quick succession, a brief pause and then three more gunshots. She initially thought the sounds were fireworks related to the Vaisakhi parade the next day.

Antil arrived in Vancouver in 2022 to study at University Canada West, a for-profit university offering business and management programs. Since graduating, she has worked multiple jobs, including retail and security, including at the Buy Low store on East Hastings Street. She was saving to buy a house, something she could show off to her parents, Khatri said.

Khatri, who had known Antil for over a decade, said Antil was like a younger brother to him. He said the couple made plans to study together in Vancouver after COVID-19. He said the two studied political science together at the University of Delhi in India before coming to Vancouver.

“When I worked, he used to cook for me. When he worked, I cooked for him,” Khatri said. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive without him.”

Anurag Dahiya has started a GoFundMe and says he is seeking donations to help bring his younger brother’s body back to India.

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“We urgently need help to raise funds to send his body back to India. If you are in Vancouver and can offer any support or help, please contact us,” the GoFundMe post reads. “Chirag’s family and friends would deeply appreciate his help in this matter as we work to achieve closure and peace during this heartbreaking time.”

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to call the VPD homicide unit at 604-717-2500.

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