MURDER LINKED TO GROW-OP

Man, 51, Called 911 After Shooting But Died In Hospital

The murder of a 51-year-old man is almost certainly linked to a marijuana
grow operation and may have been a "grow-rip," police said yesterday.

Police responded to a report of gunfire from a home in the 1100-block
Charland Avenue in Coquitlam just before 8:30 a.m. yesterday.

As they knocked at the front door, dispatchers told them the victim was
inside phoning for an ambulance.

The man was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital, where he died.

Police found more than 200 marijuana plants in the house.

"The RCMP strongly believe this act of violence was related to a marijuana
grow-op. We do not believe it was random," said Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre.

"This is one of the reasons people do not want marijuana grow operations in
the neighbourhood. They attract violence."

Police yesterday morning had no suspects, nor had they been able to
determine if anything was stolen from the house.

A neighbour, who declined to be identified, said there have been at least
two grow operations on the street in recent years.

The home's owners are listed as Nazareno Defazio and Paolo Rubino. Neither
could be reached yesterday.

Calls to R & R Hardwood Floors Ltd., Defazio's Burnaby business, were
forwarded to a message centre.