'AWESOME KID' SHOT TO DEATH

Homicide investigators have reason to suspect someone was with Alex
Nunez the night he was murdered, and are hoping that person, or those
people, will come forward and help them solve the crime.

The 27-year-old Richmond man was found dead in Surrey on Nov. 25.
Police would not release the victim's name, although they confirmed he
was known to police. The Vancouver Sun identified the victim as Alex
Nunez, who is also identified in a Facebook memorial.

Nunez was found dead in the backyard of a house that turned out to be
a marijuana grow operation in the early hours of Nov. 25. Dale Carr of
the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) confirmed the victim
had been shot, but would not say how many times.

Carr said police are not linking the murder victim to the house.
"However, we're linking the homicide to the drug trade," Carr said.

Asked if the homicide might have been the result of a grow rip gone
wrong, Carr said "we'll let you guys make the conclusions."

Amir Javid, a former Richmond gang member, is one of the friends
linked to a Facebook memorial for Nunez, whom friends knew as "Buff."

Javid, who now runs an organization called Real World Truth that
attempts to lure young people away from drugs and gangs, said he went
to school with Nunez at Station Stretch, an alternative school run by
the Richmond school district for students who are at risk of dropping
out of school.

Despite what Facebook photos might suggest, Javid said Nunez did not
fit the profile of a gangster wannabe. "He was an awesome kid," Javid
told the News.

"Everybody liked him. He was a very easy-going guy. He wasn't a tough
guy or anything. I never saw him start a fight, but everyone respected
him because he was a little bit bigger."

Surrey RCMP received a 911 call around 1:45 a.m. from someone
informing them that someone had been hurt in the 115 Avenue and Currie
Road area.

Carr said police were unable to locate anyone, and went back to listen
to the 911 tapes again. An RCMP officer then returned to the scene.

"At the same time, we got a secondary 911 phone call (around 3:20
a.m.) that offered some finite details that directed police to where
this male was, and we found him deceased there," Carr said.

After police arrived, they conducted a search of the house at
14400-block of 115 Avenue. No one was home, but police found 700
marijuana plants.

Whomever put in the 911 calls "definitely knew something" about the
homicide, Carr said.

Homicide investigators are appealing to them to provide information
that might help find the young man's killer.

"There's a whole bunch of stonewalling by people who we feel are in
the know that are being less than cooperative," Carr said.

"We are appealing to the friends that may have been with the male
earlier in the night. We especially want to speak to the friends we
feel may have been with the male at the time of this terrible
incident. If we speak to them, they may be the key to resolving this.
Give us a call."

Police ask anyone with information to call the IHIT tip line at
1-877-551-IHIT, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.