Starlight Casino Gunman Succumbs to Injuries

Written By Janice Doughtrey

The BC Coroner’s Service has identified the body of 48 year old Mehrdad Bayrami as the gunman who engaged in an armed standoff with police outside the Starlight Casino in New Westminster two weeks ago.  The standoff began when early morning shots were fired on November 8 in the casino parking lot, which led to a 911 call to the police.  The casino was placed under lockdown to prevent any innocent gamers inside from being put in danger while police faced off with Bayrami.

Traffic was diverted away from the casino as police attempted to convince Bayrami to set down the gun, and prevent any unnecessary harm.  However, after several hours of attempting to talk Bayrami into complying with requests, the incident became more dangerous.  Bayrami was taken down by police at approximately 10:45am, and was left with serious injuries as a result.

The Independent Investigations Office has been reviewing the scene of the crime over the last few weeks to understand what set Bayrami off.   They discovered that he was from nearby Richmond, and arrived at the Starlight Casino in the early hours of the morning on November 8.  However, they still have not uncovered why Bayrami was in possession of a gun or what may have caused him to suddenly start firing it off.

Those questions will be harder to answer now that Bayrami has passed on.  Investigators were informed on November 18 that Bayrami had succumbed to his injuries, and was being transferred to the coroner’s office.  His family has been contacted, and investigators hope that some of the answers in the bizarre case may be found through them.  Evidence from the crime scene is still being examined, and investigators say their case will continue.