GRIEVING MOM VOWS TO FIGHT GANGS

'They Started This War. We Should End This War For Them'

The mother of a Surrey man killed in a gangland execution last month
- -- an innocent victim of gang violence and illicit drug activity in a
next-door apartment -- says politicians will be hearing from her.

Eileen Mohan believes the newly formed B.C. anti-gang task force is a
step in the right direction, but says cops can only do so much. She
wants the justice system to get tough on criminals, too.

"They came to my doorstep, so why shouldn't we be in their face? They
started this war. We should end this war for them," said Mohan, whose
22-year-old son, Chris, was among the six people found dead in a
Whalley apartment on Oct. 19.

Last week, police announced the creation of a 60-member Violence
Suppression Team to combat the escalating threat of gangs with an
"in-your-face" approach -- starting Nov. 14.

"As a mother, I'm so mad. If Chris was involved in an accident or if
he was sick, his death would be acceptable to me. But for someone to
snatch his life away, right on my doorstep, I can't comprehend that."

The Mohans moved into their 15th-floor apartment five weeks before
the multiple murders occurred in the unit across the hall.

Her son stayed home that day to allow a fireplace repairman access to
the suite. The repairman, 55-year-old Ed Schellenberg of Abbotsford, also died.

The other four killed had criminal records, mostly drug-related.

Mohan wants to see the federal government's crime bill, which calls
for tougher penalties for gun crime, passed in Parliament.

"Judges are too lenient at the moment. Criminals are let go on our
streets every day," she said.

She wants judges elected, not appointed, to the bench so "they would
be accountable to the people, especially where guns, drugs and
violence are concerned."

Parents need to do their part, too, she added.

"If parents see their kids have one too many things, they should ask
where the money is coming from." Otherwise, they are "accessories" in
the drug violence, she argued.

n Members of the Vancouver Police Firearms Interdiction Team pulled
over a black Mercedes S500 in the 1200-block Granville Street just
before 11:30 p.m. on Friday, and what began as an impaired-driving
investigation soon turned into something far more serious.

"They pulled it over to check it and noticed the driver had
[allegedly] been drinking," Const. Tim Fanning said yesterday. "They
also had other information that this car may have been associated
with firearms in the past."

When officers learned the driver -- a 23-year-old man -- and his two
passengers, all from Surrey, were too impaired to drive, officers
began searching the Mercedes to prepare it for towing. A loaded
semi-automatic handgun was found in the centre console.

The car was towed and the handgun, a Sig Sauer model 226, was sent to
the police lab for analysis.

Fanning said the driver was not known to police and wasn't associated
with any gangs. Police believe someone else owned the car.