A bunch of people came running into the kitchen as word spread Monday night that someone had been shot outside, said Terrilyn Bell, whose son works as a line cook at the Cactus Club. Bell, who drove over to check on her son’s car and see what was happening, said it was a shock: “It’s scary as a parent. It’s happening way too close to home.”

Less than 20 minutes after the shooting, police received a report of a vehicle on fire near 232nd Street and 75th Avenue in Langley, and investigators are working to determine if the two incidents are linked.

“This investigation is in its early stages, and it is essential for investigators to establish a timeline of events leading up to the shooting,” said Fong in a statement. “A lot of work is underway as we continue an extended canvass for witnesses and video at both the shooting and arson scenes.”

A black Lower Mainland evidence unit tent was set up, with another tent beside it covering a grey car. Officers were combing the bushes for evidence while others conferred near the entrance to the restaurant.

At about 10 a.m., a few people believed to be staff met outside the restaurant on the north side and entered the Cactus Club, though the restaurant was expected to remain closed into the afternoon. It usually opens for lunch at 11 a.m.

A white Range Rover with a black roof, its driver’s-side window shattered, was removed from the plaza on a flatbed tow truck, its licence plate concealed under a piece of cardboard.

Outside the police cordon — which also blocked access to a Dollarama outlet — it was largely business as usual in the large shopping plaza known as The Corner, at the southeast corner of 200th Street and the Langley Bypass.