UN gangster accidentally shot by crime associate, trial told
A United Nations gang associate accidentally shot one of his own in Burnaby in 2008 while his group was hunting for the Bacon brothers, a former gangster testified Wednesday.
The witness, who can only be identified as “A” due to a publication ban, told the murder trial of Cory Vallee that he learned of the shooting from the man that was wounded, who he called Shrek.
The Vallee murder trial heard earlier that Shrek is a nickname for Billy Ly, a UN gangster from Calgary.
“I heard about a shooting from Shrek. He told me that he got shot,” Witness A told B. C. Supreme Court Justice Janice Dillon. “And he got shot by other UN guys.”
Vallee is charged with the firstdegree murder of Red Scorpion Kevin LeClair in February 2009, as well as conspiracy to kill the Bacon brothers and other Red Scorpions over several months in 2008 and 2009.
Witness A testified Wednesday that he became friends with Vallee, who UN gang founder Clay Roueche had brought in to “kill the Bacon brothers.”
Vallee expressed frustration that he couldn’t find Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie Bacon despite his best efforts, A said.
“I know it was pretty much a shared frustration among all the UN guys that the job wasn’t getting done, that the Bacons were hard to find,” he testified.
The UN gang escalated its hunt for the brothers after the May 8, 2008 murder of popular gang member Duane Meyer. The UN blamed the Red Scorpions for the shooting, A said.
He testified that Roueche was with UN member Barzan TilliCholi and associate Aram Ali on May 9, 2008 when they saw a vehicle near the Burnaby apartment building where Red Scorpion leader Mike Le lived.
Unbeknownst to the UN trio, inside the other vehicle was Shrek and UN member Troy Tran, A said.
“( Shrek) said that he high beamed them and then they shot him. He flashed his high beams at them,” A testified. “He got shot by Aram Ali.”
A said that Shrek later told him what happened and showed him the scar on his shoulder. The injury was not serious, A testified.
He said he later saw Crown evidence related to a shooting near Hall and Collier in Burnaby about 1: 30 a. m. on May 9 and presumed it was the one Shrek had mentioned to him.
And he said after the Burnaby shooting, he believed Roueche made a cryptic reference to the same shooting when he said “15 point blank” as he pointed to the headrest of A’s vehicle.
The comment was captured on a police intercept.
Ali was convicted in 2015 for
I heard about a shooting from Shrek. He told me that he got shot. And he got shot by other UN guys.
shooting up another rival’s vehicle outside a Surrey strip club in 2009. One man was wounded. Ali got a three- and- a - half- year sentence.
At the time of the Surrey shooting, Ali was also with Tilli- Choli, who later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kill the Bacons.
Tilli- Choli finished his sentence and was deported to Iraq earlier this year.
Roueche is serving a 30- year sentence in the U. S. for drug smuggling and money laundering.
Both Tran and Ly were also charged in January 2016 with conspiracy to kill the Bacons. They are awaiting trial.
The Vallee trial continues.