By Ryan Starr - Surrey North Delta Leader

A Surrey man has been charged with one count of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of his wife and daughter Tuesday in Newton.

Harpaljit Sandhu, 53, appeared Wednesday afternoon in Surrey Provincial Court.

At 4:42 p.m. Tuesday, Surrey RCMP were called to a house at 14366 72 Ave. to investigate reports of shots fired. Police cordoned off the area and conducted a preliminary search of the home and found two women with gunshot wounds.

Sandhu’s wife, Manjit, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter, Sabrina, 23, was taken to hospital where she remains in serious condition.

Sandhu and another male were taken into custody. The second male was questioned and later released.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is leading the investigation with assistance from Surrey RCMP.

The double shooting generated a strong reaction from South Asian community leaders.

“There is a major problem in the Punjabi community but there are no programs to deal with it,” said Charan Gill, CEO of the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society.

“We only see the tip of the iceberg, but there are lots of things happening underneath.”

Gill says the community is “constantly in turmoil” because of a Canadian value system that can often strain relationships between spouses, grandparents and children.

“People are into high gear,” he said. “They want to be successful financially and otherwise. And it’s unfortunate – there’s not much help to those people to deal with their frustrations and problems.

“It’s not a criminal matter – it’s a social issue,” Gill added. “If we deal with the social issues underneath, the community can be helped.”

On Wednesday morning, the Sandhu home and several other neighbouring properties were behind police tape.

In a house across the back lot from the crime scene, a young woman, whose 12-year-old brother was best friends with the boy who lived in the home where the shooting occurred, shed some light on the family.

The neighbour, who wishes only to be identified as M, said the Sandhu family was renting the upper portion of the home.

The youngest son, 12, was over at M’s house visiting with her brother Tuesday afternoon when he was called by his older sister and told to come home.

Shortly after that, M saw police officers in the back alley, both uniformed and undercover.

M didn’t hear any yelling or shots fired before that, and at first thought the home had been broken into.

It was only after her younger brother went to speak to his best friend – who was outside on the front lawn with police – that she learned what had happened.

M described the family as “cheerful,” but says she didn’t know them well.

“They were really social with my little brother because they would be at each other’s houses every day,” she said.

The family moved into the house about a year ago, M said, adding they lived in Penticton and New Westminster previously.

Manjit Sandhu worked as a housekeeper at Peace Arch Hospital.

“The employees on our team are certainly devastated,” Jon Kristjanson, spokesperson for Sodexho Inc., Sandhu’s employer, said Thursday.

“They are seeking comfort from each other.”

Harpaljit Sandhu – who also went by the name Paul – is the owner of Penticton Luxury Taxi & Limo Services Ltd., a company that’s in the process of being dissolved.

In July 2007 the company received a 30-day licence suspension for inconsistent vehicle safety and inadequate record keeping, according to government documents.