Victoria singer's home targeted by gunshots and arson
AP Dhillon apparently marked over collaboration with one of world's biggest actors
Left: Local artist AP Dhillon, confirming his safety, sings over Instagram on Monday. Right: Unverified video appears to show POV of attack on his Colwood home and vehicles
AP Dhillon, a Camosun student turned internationally popular Punjabi singer and rapper, is unharmed after an apparent attack on his house in Colwood. West Shore RCMP said that after calls at 1:15am on Monday, officers found multiple shots fired at a home on Ravenwood and two burning vehicles which Colwood Fire quickly put out.
Police describe it as a “targeted event” and seek drivers’ dashcam footage from nearby Veterans Memorial Parkway between 12 and 1:30am.
India Today reported on Monday that Dhillon's homes in Woodbridge, Ontario and on “Victoria Island” were shot at. It republished a video circulating online that appears to show the POV of the shooter. The video is unverified, but matches neighbours' descriptions and photos of the aftermath.
Screencaps from the video purportedly showing the burning and shooting at Dhillon's house.
Neighbours told the Vancouver Sun / Times Colonist that security cameras showed a black SUV driving on Ravenwood Road before shots were heard around 1am. Diane Reed said that she saw the remnants of two burning vehicles, and that the only person home had been Shinda Kahlon (a musician Dhillon often works with). The RCMP release referred to occupants (plural).
Dhillon, 31, posted on Instagram on Labour Day afternoon, saying “I'm safe. My people are safe,” thanking people who reached out to him, and wishing “Peace and love to all.” He also uploaded a video of himself with friends, singing an acoustic version of a new song.
The house is currently blurred on Google Maps—a privacy service that residents can request.
Targeted over celebrity association, per Indian media
The Lawrence Bishnoi – Rohit Godara gang has claimed responsibility, India Today writes, has targeted and publicly threatened Dhillon with a “dog’s death” over his association with actor Salman Khan. This summer Dhillon filmed a music video with Khan, who is one of India's highest-grossing actors.
Khan (left) & Dhillon in the local singer's latest video.
The group has targeted musicians in the past, and claimed responsibility for political assassinations in India and Canada. Lawrence Bishnoi, currently incarcerated in India, has targeted Khan, and people around him, over his alleged poaching of an endangered blackbuck antelope, which Bishnoi's community holds sacred. This high-profile hunting controversy has spanned more than 20 years and multiple court cases. Khan's own home was shot at this spring.
The “Old Money” music video, released last month, is an action-movie homage in which Khan shoots and punches his way through a house full of henchmen to rescue Dhillon from a rival gang. At the end, they are admonished over the phone by another veteran of Indian crime thrillers, Sanjay Dutt, and a “Say no to violence” caption concludes the video.
Warning: The music video below contains scenes of violence.
OLD MONEY | AP DHILLON | SALMAN KHAN | SANJAY DUTT | SHINDA KAHLON (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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OLD MONEY | AP DHILLON | SALMAN KHAN | SANJAY DUTT | SHINDA KAHLON (Official Music Video) APDHILLON
APDHILLON4.8M subscribers
New album is #3 in Canada
The attacks came just days after Dhillon released new album The Brownprint, which yesterday was ranked #3 on the Apple Music album charts for Canada.
Though his songs have not often crossed over on mainstream Canadian charts, with just a few appearances in the Top 100 singles, multiple tracks have hit #1 on both the UK's Punjabi chart and Asian chart. His four biggest songs have over a billion Spotify streams together.
Last year, Dhillon delivered the first Punjabi performance in Juno music awards show history.
AP Dhillon performs 'Summer High' | 2023 Juno Awards - YouTube
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AP Dhillon performs 'Summer High' | 2023 Juno Awards CBC Music
CBC Music376K subscribers
Article updated with additional details at 7:30am Tuesday.
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