MAN SLAIN AT GROW-OP

Police Find 200 Marijuana Plants In Coquitlam Home Of Victim

COQUITLAM - A 51-year-old man was shot dead Monday morning in his Coquitlam
home, where police discovered more than 200 marijuana plants worth an
estimated $30,000.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said police believe the shooting in the
1100-block of Charland Avenue was directly connected to the
marijuana-growing operation.

"We have very strong suspicions that it is linked, but we don't have
100-per-cent proof at this time," Lemaitre said. "More often than not,
violence does seem to show up when we have these types of things."

Coquitlam RCMP received an anonymous call reporting gunshots around 8:30
a.m. and shortly after received a 911 call from the victim, asking for an
ambulance.

"It just so happened that our officers were doing neighbourhood inquiries
in regard to the gunfire and were knocking on the [victim's] front door
when the call came in," Lemaitre said.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Royal Columbian
Hospital, where he died.

Lemaitre said police do not have a suspect or a suspect vehicle. He could
not confirm whether police have had earlier dealings with the victim.

According to Lemaitre, most home invasions in the Lower Mainland are
connected to a marijuana-growing operation.

"Usually, the minute people on the street talk about a home invasion, you
know pretty darn well that it's going to be related to some kind of ripoff
of a grow-op," he said. "There might be one out of 10 that isn't, but I'd
say on average this type of forced entry with violence is related to a
marijuana ripoff."

A Surrey man was shot and killed earlier this year and police indicated he
may have been connected to a marijuana-growing operation in his home. Last
year, the front windows of a North Delta home were shot out and police
later discovered a growing operation in the house.

"The biggest thing for Lower Mainland residents is to at least hope that
the one's committing the forced entry are at the right house," Lemaitre
said. "It has happened where innocent neighbours are the ones who have
their doors kicked in while they're home."