Young actress/model/student shot dead at B.C. university

[oneh2obabe]

Niamh Scallan
Staff Reporter

A 19-year-old budding actress, model and university student is dead after being shot several times at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus early Wednesday morning, police confirmed.



Mounties say they received a number of 911 calls about shots fired on campus at around 1:10 a.m. Wednesday morning. They arrived to find Maple Batalia suffering from several gunshot wounds on the third level of the school’s parkade.

“Two uniformed officers immediately began CPR to do whatever they could to save this young woman’s life,” said Sergeant Peter Thiessen, a spokesperson for the Lower Mainland’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

BC Ambulance arrived at the scene and transported the young woman to a local-area hospital, where she later died.

Batalia held a small role in Hollywood film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, shot in Vancouver last year. She was also recently named a finalist in a Surrey-area model search.

By Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of people had expressed their grief and sympathy for the teen’s family on her Facebook memorial page.

“You were one of those girls that not made every girl jealous of your beauty but made each girl embrace their own beauty,” one commenter said.

Mounties have yet to determine whether Batalia’s death was a targeted homicide.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/arti ... rsity?bn=1

[grammafreddy]

I wonder if it was an "honour killing" ... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=33213

[econovan64]

What a beautiful woman, What a horrible sentiment because of the colour of her skin.

Do you have something against all beautiful young women who are murdered?

[grammafreddy]

Not at all. But their families do seem to make a habit of making them rather dead, don't they?

[econovan64]

So its their families? Their what families?

That comment just smacks of racism. I believe this person was Canadian. So tragic that such a beautiful young woman has been killed.

[econovan64]

From the Vancouver Sun

When Maple Batalia was born 19 years ago near Mumbai, her family says “it was the best gift we ever got in our lives.”

And when the Simon Fraser University student was gunned down early Wednesday in a Surrey parkade, it was “the worst thing that happened to us in all our lives,” her devastated father Harry told The Vancouver Sun.

“I lost everything I had. My precious jewel is no more,” Batalia said of Maple, an aspiring actress and model.

He said Maple never spoke a harsh word about anyone, but was having some trouble with a former boyfriend.

And he said he thinks her early morning execution “was out of hatred and vengeance.”

Batalia, a retired heavy-duty mechanic, said Maple broke up with the young man because she “might have learned of bad deeds, dirty money coming in.”

All the family knows about her former relationship has been passed to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which has 25 officers on the case.

Batalia met with police Wednesday afternoon and knows they are working hard.

“They are doing their best,” he said.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Surrey ... z1ZQB8IOP3

Nothing about the family having her put down here.

[Woodenhead]

First thing I thought was "it was an ex" but of course some folks only see skin colour & generalizations which are spewed forth from media/sheeple etc. at them all the time.

[econovan64]

Being drop dead gorgeous has a lot of problems associated with it and often affects the character. Looks are only skin deep but it does sound like this was a nice young person who had some talent besides the looks. So many people just jump right in with the racism and hatred. Kelowna has got quite the reputation for that,,, racism, intolerance and hate are experienced by people of color who want to come here for school or to live.

[Captain Awesome]

Wait, what? Where did racism, intolerance and hate come from all of a sudden?

[razzledazzle]

Massive Investigation in Surrey killing
by The Canadian Press - Story: 65358
Sep 29, 2011 / 7:16 pm

Between 40 and 50 police officers in Surrey are trying to solve the shooting death of a 19-year-old model, actor and student.

Maple Batalia, who once had a small role in the movie "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," was found early Wednesday morning near an entrance to the Surrey Central City campus of Simon Fraser University. She later died in hospital.

Police don't know whether or not the killing was targeted because it's unclear if Batalia knew her attacker, said Sgt. Peter Thiessen, an RCMP spokesman.

He said police have been speaking to individuals and persons of interests.

"We haven't got any reason to believe that this is in any way got anything to do with any gang or drug activity or connection on the part of this young lady," he said.

"She was an outstanding student, a pillar in her community. She was a beautiful young lady in the prime of her life and this is not a result of any questionable lifestyle on her part."

Harkirat Batalia, Maple's father, said he believes the main suspect is an old schoolmate.

Thiessen said police have spoken to the family and are aware of that information, adding investigators are looking at other areas, too.

"We're not limiting our focus in any one direction," he said.

Police are looking at what video may or may not be available and determining its value, said Thiessen.

While police have a good idea of how many shots were fired in the killing, they are not releasing those details or any other evidence they may have collected, he added.

Harkirat Batalia said his daughter was the youngest of three children and dreamed of becoming a doctor. She was born near Mumbai, India, and was only six-months-old when the family moved to Canada.

"I've lost everything I had," he said. "My life source is gone. I wished I was dead many years back so that I didn't have to see this day. I cannot explain in any terms how to live now."

The family said Maple will be cremated, after which they will hold a prayer service at a Sikh temple where a priest will recite passages from a holy book and pray for her soul.

50 cops to investigate this 1 murder!!!!!!!, why don't they put 50 cops on the unsolved killings on highway 16 from PG to PR

[Fancy]

Wait, what? Where did racism, intolerance and hate come from all of a sudden?

I didn't read anything of the sort - this doesn't appear to be a hate crime.

[mammamoon]

I find the comment from Gramma Freddy rather grinding on my fairly tolerant and accepting nerves. Again, you may pass it off as something else, but sounded pretty judgemental to me.

[Fancy]

"honour" killings have made the news - it's a cultural thing - not racist.

[Woodenhead]

I didn't say anything about racism; my post is still accurate. (in case anyone was talking to me)

[Fancy]

I didn't say anything about racism; my post is still accurate. (in case anyone was talking to me)

I'm on the same page as you as far as being an "ex" but honour killings by the ex occur too even if the person is Canadian. grammafreddy's post didn't imply racism to me at all. However, it shouldn't matter what the girl looked like, homely or beautiful - a murder is a murder.