Guns found stashed in bushes, court told
Landscaper tells Bacon murder trial 1 of his workers found machine-gun 3 months after gang shooting
A machine-gun found stuffed in some Glenmore bushes had been crudely modified, the Jonathan Bacon murder trial heard Monday.
Landscape contractor Michael Kamann described how he handled and inspected the gun trying to determine if there was any ammunition inside it.
“It looked just like a model of an AK-47, a Russian machine-gun, although of course it’s also been made in other countries,” testified Kamann, who described himself as an avid hunter who was familiar with firearms.
One of Kamann’s workers, Joel Whitesel, had found the machinegun in juniper bushes while the crew worked to clear properties at 1515-1525 Highland Drive North on Nov. 1, 2011.
Kamann testified he couldn’t see any ammunition inside the cartridge clip.
“It had quite a bit of surface rust and the gun looked like someone had done a quick and dirty job on the butt, the part that rests against your shoulder, with a piece of metal welded onto it,” Kamann said.
After inspecting the machine-gun, Kamann said he phoned RCMP, who arrived within 10 minutes.
RCMP Cpl. Mike Hamilton, one of the first officers to arrive at the scene, testified he began looking in the bushes where the machine-gun was discovered.
“I thought possibly if one firearm was found, there could be other evidence in the area,” Hamilton said.
In short order, Hamilton said, he found two other weapons: “I saw another long gun with a black handgun lying on top of it.”
The properties were then owned by the city, which was restoring a section of Brandt’s Creek with a view toward selling the remainder for a new residential development, which has since been constructed.
Where the guns were discovered was below the grade of Highland Drive North, Hamilton said: “You could have never seen the guns from the road.”
Const. Scott Falkingham testified he had been canvassing the neighbourhood two months earlier, asking residents if they saw or heard anything unusual on Aug. 14, 2011, when Bacon was shot and killed outside the Delta Grand hotel.
Falkingham, who was also among the officers called to the Highland Road properties when the guns were discovered, said he quickly realized they were likely connected to Bacon’s killing.
“Once the firearms were found, we put two and two together pretty quick,” Falkingham said.
Jason McBride, Michael Jones and Jujhar Khun-Khun are charged with the first-degree murder of Bacon, a Lower Mainland gangster.
The trio are also charged with the attempted murder of Hells Angel Larry Amero, James Riach, from a gang called the Independent Soldiers, and two women, Leah Hadden-Watts and Lyndsey Black.
All those shot had been riding in a Porsche Cayenne when they were ambushed about 2:40 p.m. outside the hotel’s main entrance.
The trial continues.