Local charged with first-degree murder
A Richmond man, believed to be a member or associate of the UN Gang, has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the 2008 killing of a 24-year-old man in Burnaby.
Dan Russell is charged with killing Jonathan Barber, an innocent car stereo installer who died in a hail of gunfire on May 9, 2008. Barber was murdered as he was driving a black 2008 Porsche Cayenne that he didn't know belonged to a gangster. Vicky King, Barber's girlfriend, who was following him in her own car, was also injured in the shooting along the 7000 block of Kingsway in Burnaby.
Russell was one of five men originally arrested in 2009 on drug, gun and conspiracy to commit murder charges and has remained in custody ever since.
On Monday, police announced that the Crown had approved murder charges involving Barber's death against five men, including Russell, Ion Kroitoru and Yong Lee, both of Surrey, Burnaby's Karwan Saed and Mission's Dilun Hung.
All are believed to be UN gangsters or associates of the gang, according to Cpl. Dale Carr, spokesperson for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Cory "Frankie" Valle, who remains at large, has an outstanding Canada-wide warrant issued against him for the murder of Barber, the attempted murder of King and the first-degree murder of Kevin LeClair, a high-ranking Red Scorpion member and an associate of the Bacon crime group.
LeClair, 27, was killed on Feb. 6, 2009 during a brazen daytime shooting at the Thunderbird Shopping Centre in Walnut Grove after he left a restaurant and lounge in that plaza.
Vancouver's Conor D'Monte, 33, is also wanted on charges of conspiracy to murder LeClair. Since the arrest of UN Gang founder Clay Roueche, D'Monte has been identified as their current day-to-day leader.
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