Families of teenagers Jason Jhutty and Jassi Bhangal appeal to public to identify those responsible for their murders

ON the first anniversary of the homicides of 16-year-old Jaskarn Singh Jhutty (Jason) and 17-year-old Jaskaran Singh Bhangal (Jassi), both residents of Surrey, their families appealed for the public’s help to identify those responsible for their murders.

The two, who were students of Frank Hurt Secondary School, were not known to police.

On June 4, 2018, at around 10:30 p.m., the bodies of 17-year-old Jassi Bhangal and 16-year-old Jason Jhutty were discovered with gunshot wounds in the area of 192nd Street and 40th Avenue in Surrey. The two boys were last seen alive at around 7 p.m. playing basketball with a group at Georges Vanier Elementary School, 6985 142nd Street, Surrey.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) announced on Wednesday that it continues to actively gather evidence and is requesting public assistance to advance its investigation.

“This remains a priority investigation for us and all possible leads are being pursued to identify Jassi and Jason’s killers,” said IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang. “It only takes one or two phone calls from the right persons with the right information to significantly advance a homicide investigation.”

Members of the families of the victims today addressed the media at IHIT Headquarters in Surrey.

Statement from the family of Jassi (Jaskaran Singh) Bhangal

Hi, my name is Sharon I am the older sister of Jaskaran Bhangal (also known as Jassi). Exactly one year ago today, my little brother Jassi was found murdered on the road side in Surrey.

When police came knocking at our door in the early hours of the morning, it left us in utter shock, we could not comprehend what had happened, our family hasn’t been the same since. If Jassi was still here today we would’ve been celebrating his 18th birthday this past January. Although we were two years apart, both of our birthdays were in January and for the past 17 years we have celebrated our birthdays together. This time around, he was not here to celebrate it. My birthday will never be the same. I now realize that I didn’t just lose my baby brother I lost a piece of myself which I can never get back. I lost my only sibling and my parents lost their only son.

My brother and I had a relationship like no other. He was my best friend and my other half. Every obstacle we faced together and he was always there for me when I needed him the most. Jassi was known for his huge smile and contagious laugh. You could always catch him making the silliest jokes that would always put a smile on your face; there was never a dull moment with him around. In general he was just a really happy kid with so much love to give. Jassi was an extraordinary individual with a bright future ahead of him. He was in grade 8 when he got his first plumbing job for my uncle’s business. The past four years, he spent his summers working at a plumbing job or helping out my dad on the weekends, so he could save enough money for his dream car which was a mustang. My brother’s passion for cars was unreal. He could tell you the name, model, and horsepower of a car by just looking at it. Jassi was eager to learn about cars and he was excited to pursue a career as an auto-mechanic and was already looking into BCIT so he could apply in 2020 as he would have completed his apprenticeship program with a local auto body shop.

Jassi would’ve been graduating high school with his fellow classmates this year and I would be helping him get ready for his prom. Jassi and our family were looking forward to seeing what the future had in store for him. Unfortunately, we will not get to see my baby brother grow into the man he deserved to become. Jassi deserved to graduate, to go to university, to celebrate many more years ahead, and to live life all of which was selfishly stripped away from him and our family. My little brother just went to go play basketball and never returned home. We don’t know why this had happened, who did it, and what motive they had behind it, which are all questions that still go unanswered today.

My family and I haven’t been the same since, we have a huge hole in our hearts which can never be filled. Our hearts will always ache for him.

So I urge anyone with any information regarding the murder of Jassi Bhangal to please come forward and contact IHIT. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers. Any piece of information will help. Please help bring justice to our family.

Statement from the family of Jason (Jaskarn Singh) Jhutty

Jason was one of a kind. He had the heart of a giant and was the kind of person who would think with his heart before his brain. Jason was always calm and usually smiling or laughing. He was a gentle soul. I always thought he was ahead of his time. He had the brightest ideas and could find a solution for almost any problem. Everyone always learned something from him.My name is Pawan, I am the older sister of Jason Jhutty. Jason is the youngest of three in our family. We liked to call him the baby of our family. He was the heart of our home. He made our family complete. This past year without him has been dark and full of pain. We have felt his absence in every minute of every day.

Jason was born and raised in Surrey. Gang violence has been a topic in our home since my brothers were in high school. Education and knowledge against drugs and gangs were our parents’ number one concern and priority. Jason had no criminal record or even interaction with police. It seemed as if we were doing everything right as parents and older siblings. On June 4th my baby brother left to go play basketball and never came back. Later that night his body was found on a rural street in south Surrey. Our worst nightmare began that night and hasn’t ended since. It never will.

We have no answers as to why someone would ever do this to Jason. He was only 16-years-old. He was just a child. No parent should ever have to spend their life wondering what could have possibly happened in their child’s final moments. Someone out there knows what happened to Jason. They know why he didn’t come home. We are urging anyone who has any information to please please contact IHIT or Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous. Please know that no information is considered irrelevant. The smallest piece of information means everything to us. Our family should be helping Jason prepare for his high school graduation but instead we are asking our community to help solve his murder. We must ensure that justice is served.

Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551- IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

MEANWHILE, Wake Up Surrey in a press statement said that it remembers the two Surrey teen homicide victims.