A preliminary hearing for two Surrey men charged with first-degree murder in the July 24, 2022 killing of two men outside a Whistler hotel is underway in Vancouver Provincial Court.
Tanvir Khakh and Gursimran Sahota were arrested in Squamish after Brothers Keeper gangster Meninder Dhaliwal and his friend Satindera Gill were killed by gunshots fired outside the B.C. resort’s Sundial Hotel.
One victim died at the scene while another succumbed to his injuries a short time later at the Whistler Health Care Centre.
Clad in street clothes, Khahk and Sahota whispered occasionally to each other as the preliminary hearing got underway.
Such hearings are held to determine if enough evidence exist for the case to proceed to trial. They are covered by publication bans in order not to taint a potential jury pool should an accused elect trial by judge and jury.
The public initially learned about the incident via a gory Instagram crime scene video. It showed one man face-down with blood streaming from his head beside a white BMW X6 and a man treating another man near a black Ford F-150.
Another angle showed the second man was heavily tattooed. Both vehicles were parked in the driveway of the Sundial Hotel. The driver’s side door of the BMW was open. A burning getaway vehicle was found shortly after in the Blueberry Hill neighbourhood outside Whistler Village.
Investigators said both victims were known to police.
Dhaliwal was among several Lower Mainland gangsters previously identified by B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit as posing a significant risk to public safety.
Whistler RCMP said they responded to reports of gunfire at the Sundial Hotel at 12:19 p.m.
