SURREY - Twenty-five homicide detectives are working around the clock to catch whoever shot Simon Fraser University student Maple Batalia dead Wednesday morning on a third-storey parkade behind the Whalley campus.

Batalia, 19, studied health sciences at SFU and was also an aspiring actress and model.

Police found her dying of multiple gunshot wounds after receiving calls of shots fired shortly after 1 a.m.

They tried to save her but she died in hospital.

Sgt. Peter Thiessen, spokesman for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said at Now press time on Wednesday he couldn't confirm if investigators believe the shooting was targeted or random.

Asked if there were any signs of robbery, Thiessen replied, "I'm not going to get into what we have gleaned from the scene at this point."

Thiessen said he also couldn't confirm reports that Batalia had applied for a restraining order against someone just three months ago.

Her eldest brother, Kulmeet, 38, told the Now he was unaware of any such order. Asked if his sister had been experiencing problems with anyone, he said "No, never. She was friendly with everyone."

He described Maple as a homebody who studied hard. She'd been hitting the books at the campus library and had called home shortly before she was shot.

"She said, 'I'll be 10 minutes more, I'm doing my homework,'" Kulmeet said she told their mom.

"My sister will not come back any more," he cried. "We just want to know who did it and we want him behind bars."

Meantime, Thiessen said 25 "seasoned" homicide investigators will work full-time around the clock during the first 72 hours in a full-on effort to collar whoever shot the 19-year-old.

Police had a large section of the third-storey parkade cordoned off with yellow barricade tape Wednesday as forensic identification officers scoured the pavement for clues.

Thiessen wouldn't say if investigators have seized surveillance tape pointing at the scene of the crime.

Don MacLachlan, SFU's director of public affairs, said trauma counselling was being offered at the campus in the wake of the murder.

"If I'm emotional it's hardly surprising," he told reporters.

"One of our students has been shot dead. Of course I'm emotional. It's a terrible shock to all of us."

tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com