BIKER FACES POLICE LINEUP AFTER SLAYING

Bandidos Gang Member In Custody After Drug Dealer Shot Dead

The public execution on Sunday of a smalltime drug dealer affiliated
with the Hells Angels was the first strike by the rival Bandidos biker
gang in their push to take control of Western Quebec's illegal drug
trade, police say.

The Bandidos, formerly known as the Rock Machine, stormed into the
Buckingham area less than two weeks ago to flex their muscle and flash
their colours, according to Surete du Quebec investigators.

At some point, police said, the Bandidos outlaws apparently set their
sights on Steve Purdy, a 31yearold Thurso man known to deal drugs,
typically small quantities of hashish and cocaine for the Hells Angels.

"We believe firmly that the motive is related to the territory of
selling drugs in the region," said Const. Marc Ippersiel said.

"All the drugs in the region are controlled through the Hells Angels."
The dealers or runners "make a percentage for selling it."

Underworld wisdom says there is a high price to pay for selling drugs
anywhere in West Quebec without kicking money back to the Hells Angels.

"The Bandidos are showing the Hells Angels that they want to have the
territory there," Const. Ippersiel said. "They have been going there
more and more, starting two weeks ago, with their Tshirts on and
everything like that, to intimidate. They want to show their presence
out there, and we don't know yet if they had something personal
against that exact person."

While "not like 'Mom' Boucher" the notorious Hells Angels kingpin
awaiting trial in Quebec Mr. Purdy was well known to police as a drug
trafficker who liked to fight. He became involved in organized crime
several years ago. "He was not a bigtime guy," Const. Ippersiel said.
"He was working at the pulp and paper mill in Thurso. He was known to
fight."

After a relatively peaceful night of smoking and drinking, Mr. Purdy
left l'Elegance Bar and Billiards around 1:15 a.m. Sunday with his
girlfriend, Martine Clement. They walked along the sidewalk holding
hands. At least four Bandidos, who had been among the many patrons in
the bar Saturday night, made their move and sent their message.

The men snuck up to Mr. Purdy's side and, less than a metre from him,
while taking care not to hurt his girlfriend, one of them opened fire
at close range. Mr. Purdy fell to the ground and died almost instantly
as his girlfriend watched. The assailants then fled on motorcycles and
in cars.

Police revealed only yesterday that a member of the Bandidos was
arrested after a highspeed highway chase 15 minutes after the shooting.

JeanSebastien Prince, 31, of Montreal a Bandidos member who used to
reside in Thurso was charged with breaching his parole conditions. He
has not yet been linked to the murder. He is being held in a Hull jail
and will appear today in a lineup in front of the five people who
witnessed the killing.

Police set up several strategic roadblocks on routes leading out of
Buckingham after the killing. According to police, Mr. Prince failed
to stop his motorcycle for a patrol car at the intersection of
highways 315 and 317 near the village of Ripon. The patrol car from
the Surete's Papineauville detachment gave chase. Speeds reached
almost 160 km/h during the pursuit, but it ended within two minutes as
Mr. Prince's sport bike turned sideways and slid along the pavement.
Uninjured, he was arrested.

"Right now he's considered somebody that could be involved," said
Const. Ippersiel. "There's a murder and 15 minutes later he's
arrested. We're not so stupid, but we need to prove that he was
involved in that murder."

Results from an autopsy performed yesterday on Mr. Purdy will not be
available for "quite some time," police said.

Mr. Purdy played 12 games for the Granby Bisons in Quebec's junior
hockey league during the 198788 season. He spent 34 minutes in the
penalty box but scored zero points, despite any advice he might have
been given by Thurso native and hockey legend Guy Lafleur.

Mr. Lafleur was once a close friend and neighbour of Mr. Purdy's
father, Russell. Mr. Lafleur's sister, Suzanne Lafleur, said her
brother has not had any contact with the Purdy family recently.

Mr. Purdy's parents, Russell and Annette, declined to comment other
than to refute police statements characterizing their son as a violent
criminal. "We are in too much pain to speak about it," cousin Leonard
Purdy said.

Mr. Purdy's criminal record stretches back to 1988 and consists of six
convictions for offences, including assault, uttering death threats,
mischief and criminal harassment.

Investigators have not yet connected Mr. Purdy's slaying to another
gangland hit in Quebec's Eastern Townships on Sunday afternoon in
which a member of the Bandidos was killed in front of his wife.

On Sunday, bikers were doing what bikers do when they are at war,
Surete spokesman Serge Dubord said in rejecting the theory that the
two killings are directly related. It just so happens they occurred on
the same day, he said.

Mr. Dubord said Bandidos member Robert Leger, 46, was enjoying a day
at his cottage in St Catherinede Hatley with his wife when two men broke
in around 4 p.m.

They started shooting at Mr. Leger in the home, but he was able to get
outside. He didn't make it far. The men quickly caught up to him and
shot him several times. Mr. Leger died where he fell.

Three guns were found near the scene of the shooting. Later, police
found a burned out Jeep Cherokee a few kilometres away. Police found
two more guns inside the vehicle.

"We don't have any suspects right now, but he was a Bandido, and the
modus operandi is what we have seen before with Hells Angels," Mr.
Dubord said. "We don't think this is related to what happened in
Buckingham."

But Const. Ippersiel said when it comes to ruthless bikers, it is common to
see back to back killings. "We're not surprised to see these things happen,
like
back to back murders, revenge. But until we arrest somebody, we cannot relate
the two. We're looking at the situation closely."