The family of a B.C. man murdered on a Kamloops basketball court in broad daylight insists he wasn't associated with gangs, despite what police have told CTV News about the young victim.

Archie LePretre, 23, was killed Tuesday afternoon while he was playing basketball with his cousin in the playground at Stewart Wood Elementary.

Kamloops RCMP have characterized the killing as a "focused, targeted, gang-related attack."

"Mr. LePretre was an associate of a known criminal gang, in addition to his cousin, who is a known member of a known criminal gang," said Sgt. Grant Learned.

But LePretre's half sister Chantelle Tremblay told CTV News that he was never involved with gangs.

"He's always prided himself on avoiding that type of lifestyle and I think that's why this is so shocking to our family," she said. ""He has no history of being involved in gang activity at all."

It makes us angry that the public will perceive him as some criminal gangbanger when he wasn't," Tremblay said.

LePretre, a Richmond resident, was visiting family in Kamloops when he was killed. Tremblay said he was supposed to come home the night before, but missed his bus and ended up staying an extra day.

Tremblay admits LePretre has run into trouble with the law, but insists he turned his life around four years ago, and has since graduated from business school and gotten a job.

LePretre has a criminal record including convictions for drug possession and trafficking in Kamloops and Vancouver.

Police are now looking for three suspects they believe attacked LePretre and his cousin with knives and a baseball bat. The suspects are said to be three First Nations men in their early 20s. One suspect is described as 5-8 tall with a slim build, another as 5-6 or 5-7 and heavyset, and the third as 5-8 and heavyset.

Kamloops gang ties

On Thursday, the RCMP tried to reassure the public that gangs have not put down roots in Kamloops.

The Mounties say its officers have made the city uncomfortable for organized crime.

"There are people in this community who are associates, affiliates, friends of and prospects as well as known gang members but their gang itself do not have a base here," said Sgt. Learned.

Four years ago, Kamloops RCMP showed off jackets they seized from a gang called The Redd Alert, an aboriginal gang that originated in Alberta jails. Its members are known as muscle for hire or debt collectors.

The RCMP refuses to say if The Redd Alert gang is connected to the death of LePretre.

"We don't want to give these types of criminal organizations anything to be proud of, to be celebrated for."

With reports from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid and Lisa Rossington