Ahmed Riyaz Tahir was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 17 years for the killing of Blerton (Toni) Dalipi, 19, according to a statement from the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. Dalipi was shot in broad daylight as he left a vapor shop in the 7700-block of 6th Street on May 8. Another man who police identified as an innocent bystander was hit by a stray bullet and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Dalipi later died in hospital. “Although incredibly young, both Blerton Dalipi and Ahmed Tahir were well known to the police,” wrote RCMP Sgt. Timothy Pierotti. In the statement, RCMP said they were able to quickly locate and arrest Tahir in the May 9 murder, with the help of Coquitlam RCMP investigators who were in the Burnaby area on unrelated business. Tahir has been charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with Dalipi’s death. He had also been charged with attempted murder in a separate attack in New Westminster a year earlier. In June of this year, Tahir pleaded guilty and was convicted of second-degree murder. A conviction for second-degree murder carries a minimum sentence of life in prison, but parole eligibility terms can range from 10 to 25 years.
