POLICE SEEK SUSPECTS IN DEADLY BEATING

A 41-year-old Vancouver man has died from injuries he suffered during a
beating outside a marijuana growing operation on No. 4 Road late Sunday night.

Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said that around midnight Sunday night,
police found a severely beaten Asian man lying on the street in the 8300
block of No. 4 Road. A short time later, police discovered a marijuana
growing operation in a two-storey house at 8391 No. 4 Road.

The victim was taken to Vancouver General Hospital where he was listed in
critical condition before he passed away around 5 p.m. Monday, some 17
hours later. The victim was associated to the home but wasn't the owner,
police said.

One neighbour recalled seeing a tow truck stop in the middle of the road
around the time of the attack on Sunday. The neighbour said the driver of
the tow truck got out, walked a short distance, then returned to the vehicle.

This isn't the first time there's been trouble at this particular address,
the neighbour said.

The house changed hands in recent years and has been the site of at least
one other marijuana growing operation.

The new owners renovated the place and refurbished it after the grow-op was
discovered, the neighbour said. Police confirmed that they are familiar
with the address, but said the victim wasn't known to them. Richmond RCMP
haven't yet released the victim's name, pending notification of next of
kin, but have released a description of his four alleged attackers.

They were witnessed leaving the scene and police are now trying to track
them down.

The first suspect is described as an either Middle Eastern or East Indian
male about 20 years of age with a large pointy nose, and a round
clean-shaven face. He was wearing dark baggy clothing.

The second suspect was described as a Caucasian male about 20 years of age
and was also wearing dark baggy clothing.

The other two suspects were seen wearing dark baggy clothing.

Thiessen said police found between 500 and 750 marijuana plants inside the
home and a team of 20 police officers are trying to solve the homicide. "At
this time we don't have any reason to believe it's gang related. Clearly
we're dealing with what appears to be a crime around the grow operation
itself," Thiessen said.

"This individual paid with his life for his association with a grow-op." An
English tourist staying next door to the home where the marijuana was found
said he returned home around 11 p.m. Sunday and didn't see or hear anything
suspicious.

But there were a large number of cars parked near the home, and he believes
there was a party being held a few houses north on No. 4 Road.

This brings to three the number of murders in Richmond this year.

In January, police discovered the burning corpse of a man on an isolated
stretch of River Road, near No. 8 Road.

In February, the body of 52-year-old Gary Henry Blackburn was found on the
porch of his residence at 8771 No. 5 Rd. by his adult son at around 7 a.m.
The body of a man in his 20s found on Steveston Highway, near No. 6 Road,
late last month is still being investigated and has not yet been classified
a murder.