Surrey’s Chris Mohan, one of two innocent bystanders in a mass, gang-related shooting six years ago, suffered two gunshot wounds the day he was killed, the court heard Tuesday.
Pathologist Dr. John Charlesworth – who was testifying in the Surrey Six trial underway in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver – performed autopsies Oct. 22 and 23, 2007 on murder victims Mohan, Ed Schellenberg, Edward Narong, Ryan Bartolomeo and brothers Corey and Michael Lal, who were killed Oct. 19, 2007.
Three men – Michael Le, Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston – are currently on trial and have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in connection with the deaths.
During his testimony, Charlesworth referred to photos, which were not displayed in the public court gallery.
He said Mohan, 22 (left), had bullet wounds below his ear and in his neck. While the one below the ear missed the spinal column, Charlesworth said, the other in the neck went through the spinal cord, paralyzing Mohan immediately. The doctor testified it was uncertain which of the two injuries was sustained first.
Eileen Mohan, Chris’s mother, was in court Tuesday listening to the autopsy details, but left halfway through the day.
Earlier in the day, Charlesworth told Justice Catherine Wedge that Micheal Lal was shot in the back twice, with one bullet puncturing a lung and the heart.
Bartolomeo had a total of six bullet wounds – with four to his upper back and head and two to his right hand.
Corey Lal, the pathologist said, had two gunshots to the head, both of which would have resulted in “near-immediate death.”
There was one bullet found in Narong’s head, Charlesworth told the court, which would have incapacitated him, and another in his neck which damaged his spinal cord. The pathologist said his injuries were consistent with him lying face down when he was killed.
Schellenberg, 55 (left) – the second innocent bystander – was shot in the back of the head twice, Charlesworth testified. Either bullet would have have killed him instantly, he said.
While Bartolomeo, the Lals, and Narong were believed to have links to the drug trade, Schellenberg was servicing gas fireplaces in the building and Mohan was a neighbour in the apartment who was heading out to play basketball.
The Crown’s theory is that Corey Lal was the intended victim and the other five men were killed to eliminate possible witnesses.
The trial continues.
Barriers erected outside courtroom
The media will no longer be able to take photos of people entering the Surrey Six trial in Vancouver.
Barriers (pictured at bottom) were erected Tuesday afternoon blocking the sightline between the exterior doors and the high-security courtroom entrance.
By law, cameras are not allowed in courthouses, but the press often takes photos through the windows.
The exit from the courtroom, where the mass-murder case is expected to be heard for the next year or so, was not barricaded, so the media will still be able to see people leaving. However, for security reasons, at least one witness has been allowed to exit the courtroom through by way of an interior elevator.
