Article content
When Vancouver police raided a Langley farm in November 2017 as part of a gang investigation, they found stolen cars, stacks of licence plates, bulletproof vests, gas canisters, black clothing with the Walmart tags still on and a dozen firearms.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Anatomy of a Vancouver hit: Imported hit men, kill kits, guns and fast cars Back to video
“These kill kits were all assembled and ready to go at this farm,” VPD Supt. Lisa Byrne said this week.
There were also two grenades, a silencer, an overcapacity magazine, balaclavas and latex gloves.
There were also two grenades, a silencer, an overcapacity magazine, balaclavas and latex gloves. Police believe the blueberry farm, co-owned by a man linked to the Brothers Keepers gang, was being used as a staging ground by would-be hitmen. No charges were laid in connection with the rural property on 240th Street. But owner Dave Sharma and other family members were taken to court last year by the B.C. government, which alleged the 17-acre farm was being used for criminal activity. After first denying the allegations in court documents, the Sharma family agreed to settle the claim in October by paying more than $200,000 to the director of civil forfeiture.
I put this weekend feature together over the course of a few days last week to try to put in some context all the violence we have seen so far this year. Unfortunately the violence is continuing with the May 22 murders in Coquitlam and Calgary, as well as the May 20 hit in Nanaimo – all of which appear to be linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Here’s the weekend feature: Anatomy of a Metro Vancouver hit: Imported hit men, kill kits, guns.
Article content
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Janice Dillon convicted Vallee in June 2018 of first-degree murder in LeClair’s public slaying, as well as conspiracy to kill his Red Scorpion gang-mates Jamie, Jarrod and Jonathan Bacon.
Gottardi said the convictions should be overturned on several grounds, including the late disclosure and lack of scrutiny of the unsavoury ex-gangster witnesses known only as A, B, C and D.
Leading up to the trial, there was no evidence linking Vallee to the murder except for statements made to police by B and C, he told Justices Mary Saunders, Patrice Abrioux and Peter Voith.
Ending gang violence is No. 1 priority, B.C. public safety minister says after 3rd fatal shooting in a week
B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says putting an end to the escalating gang violence that has exploded into a series of recent brazen daylight shootings is the top priority for every police agency in the province.
Social Sharing
Jaskeert Kalkat was killed and 2 others injured in a shooting near a busy restaurant patio on Thursday
CBC News ·
Posted: May 14, 2021 10:31 AM PT | Last Updated: May 14
A body is covered with a tarp in the parking lot of the shopping complex after the shooting in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday.(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)