Charges laid in Surrey’s first homicide of 2020
Posted January 3, 2020 12:24 pm.
Last Updated January 3, 2020 12:26 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Charges have been laid against a man following Surrey’s first homicide on the year on Thursday.
Michael James Petronio, 33, is charged with second degree murder in the death of Jason Stanley Wells, after an altercation outside a strip mall at Scott Road and 75a Avenue, in the Strawberry Hill neighbourhood.
Wells, 39, was assaulted and found lying in the parking lot, but died before emergency crews arrived.
Multiple people saw a fight and police say one witness followed a suspect before calling police. Petronio was arrested shortly after at a home a couple blocks away and a possible weapon was seized.
IHIT says the help of the witness and various business owners in the area led to the charges.
“This could not have been accomplished without the cooperation of the witnesses, the expertise of the forensic specialists, and the professionalism demonstrated by Surrey RCMP officers,” Cst. Harrison Mohr with IHIT said. “We would also like to thank the business owners and community members in the area, who provided us with key surveillance video footage, and waited patiently while the mall was closed during our initial investigation. This was a prime example of the success that can happen when police and the community work together.”
Police previously said Petronio has no known ties to gangs or drug trafficking. He will appear in Surrey Provincial Court at 2:00 p.m. Friday.
“Our attention must turn now to the victim, his family, and his friends and associates,” Mohr said. “Our thoughts are with those who knew him, and we are asking them to come forward and talk to us. Our investigators would like to speak with anyone whom had been in recent contact with Jason.
Anyone with information about what happened or who knew Wells, is asked to call the Surrey RCMP at 604.599.0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS.
