Police arrest 21-year-old in two unsolved murders in Vancouver and Surrey, B.C.

VANCOUVER — Police in Vancouver say a two-year investigation in partnership with the province’s homicide investigation team has led to the arrest of a suspect in two unsolved murders.

They say an 18-year-old was found dead at Hazelnut Meadows Park in Surrey on May 26, 2022, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team began searching for a suspect.

Ten months later, a 22-year-old man was stabbed and killed at a Vancouver home near Boundary Road and East 45th Avenue.

The murder victims had no connection but Vancouver police and the homicide team gathered evidence that eventually linked a single suspect to both cases.

The department says in a news release that the 21-year-old was arrested on Thursday in Vancouver.

Nahom Gizaw is accused of two counts of second-degree murder and remains in custody.

Sgt. Freda Fong of the homicide investigation team says in the news release that the charge approval by the BC Prosecution Service is a “significant milestone.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.

The Canadian Press