2 men charged with 1st-degree murder in shooting death of Ripudaman Singh Malik-صحيفة الصوت

Two men have been charged with first-degree murder in the targeted killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombings and shot dead on July 14.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said in news release Wednesday the charges have been laid against Tanner Fox, 21, and Jose Lopez, 23.

IHIT will be holding a press conference at 3 p.m. PT.

Malik, 75, was shot several times on the morning of July 14 outside his family business, Papillon Eastern Imports, on 128 Street in Surrey, B.C.

Malik and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to a pair of bombings targeting Air India flights that killed 331 people, mostly from the Toronto and Vancouver areas.

In recent years, Malik served as chairman with Khalsa School and managed two of the private schools’ campuses in Surrey and Vancouver. He was also president of the Vancouver-based Khalsa Credit Union, which has more than 16,000 members.