AS reported earlier, former associates of the three men who have been charged with the first-degree murder of Red Scorpion gang leader Jonathan Bacon in August 2011 – Jujhar Khun-Khun of Surrey, Michael Jones of Gibsons, and Jason McBride of North Vancouver – will be testifying against them at the trial that is taking place at the Supreme Court in Kelowna.
Bacon, Larry Amero, a full-patch Hells Angels member from White Rock, and James Riach of the Independent Soldiers along with two women, one of whom is related to several Hells Angels members in Haney, were attacked in Kelowna. While Bacon was killed, Amero and the two women sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Riach, who was also injured, fled the scene.
A year and a half later, Khun-Khun, Jones and McBride were arrested on February 22, 2013, and charged with the first degree murder of Bacon as well as four counts each of attempted murder.
Manjinder “Manny” Hairan, 29, who was shot dead on January 15, 2013, in Surrey, was also involved in the Kelowna shooting.
Prosecutor Dave Ruse had said in his opening statement in court that the former associates would testify that the three accused and Hairan were in Kelowna to kill Amero, Bacon and Riach after learning that they were partying there.
The Lower Mainland gang war that was raging involved the Dhak-Duhre group and United Nations gang, on one side, and the ‘Wolf Pack’ of some Hells Angels with Independent Soldiers and Red Scorpions.
Gurmit Dhak, described as a charismatic gang leader by police, was shot dead in 2010 and that started a whole chain of violent events that are still reverberating.
In January 2012, Sandip Duhre was shot dead in a blatant assassination in a downtown Vancouver hotel bar and later a ruling by a B.C. Supreme Court judge revealed that Riach was one of the gang members seen at the scene.
Gurmit’s brother, Sukh, who was himself shot dead in 2012, blamed Amero and Riach for his brother’s death and wanted revenge.
As The VOICE reported last June, some gang members are very keenly interested in what’s going on at Bacon’s murder trial because they are nervous if their name or some information concerning them may crop up and worry about the consequences that may follow – something that gang expert Staff-Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – BC (CFSEU-BC) pointed out. That is, of course, because former associates of the three charged with Bacon’s murder will be testifying against them.
One of these former associates told the court this week (as reported by the Kelowna Daily Courier) that the Dhak brothers used to present beads like white gold balls with Chinese characters to their crew. These probably cost about $5,000 to $6,000 per set.
He testified that it was mainly Gurmit’s crew that possessed them and that after his death, Sukh started presenting them to his crew. Gurmit also gave a set to Khun-Khun.
Earlier in the week, the witness testified that Sukh texted “Congratulations, LOL, go have a drink” when he heard that Bacon had been killed, the Kelowna newspaper reported.
