DEAD MAN A GANGSTER

An Edmonton teen found fatally shot near Darwell was a gang member who may
have been killed in the city's increasingly violent Asian gang drug war,
RCMP said last night.

Workers came across the body of Stephen William Johnson, 19, on Monday in a
field near Lessard Lake, north of Darwell, 80 km west of Edmonton.

Sun sources say Johnson was a lower-echelon gang soldier in the war who may
be connected to a previous shooting at the 101 Noodle House, 10508 101 St.,
on Aug. 7, in which three men came into the restaurant shooting at a man who
took cover in the bathroom. No one was injured.

It's the second death linked to the battle over cocaine sales in less than a
month - 18-year-old Hai Van Tran was shot as he sat in his car on 97 Avenue
and Rossdale Road Aug. 18.

Edmonton police declined to discuss what role Johnson may have in connection
with the shootings or drug dealing in general but did say they were in
contact with Mounties.

Mayerthorpe RCMP, along with the force's major crime unit from Edmonton, are
investigating the case.

"There has been dialogue between the service and RCMP," city police
spokesman Sgt. Bryan Boulanger said. "But we're not going to comment on any
activities or offer anything that would compromise their investigation.

"As a matter of practice we don't comment on investigations by other agencies."

RCMP spokesman Cpl. John Griffiths last night confirmed Johnson was a known
associate of local Asian gangsters.

He fears the slaying, in which Johnson was shot "repeatedly," may lead to
yet more gang-related violence in the Edmonton area. The exact number of
bullet wounds was not disclosed.

"We're concerned about a possible escalation of violence," Griffiths said.

Cops have asked anyone with information about where Johnson may have been
Saturday or Sunday to contact them.

The most recent confirmed case of gang gunplay was Friday about 11:30 p.m.
near Abbottsfield Mall.

There have been at least seven shootings in the city since June that police
have attributed to ongoing friction between two gangs running dial-a-doper
cocaine rings.

The gangs are predominantly Vietnamese but include members from a number of
ethnic backgrounds.

Some witnesses to the Aug. 24 attempted murder of a 24-year-old man at 11915
162 Ave. told police they thought the gunman was white, although cops said
descriptions varied so widely they can't be sure.

The next day, residents in the area told police they saw two white men in
the woods about 75 metres from the shooting, at a spot where police later
found a handgun.

The pistol has since been sent for testing to see if it's related to the
shooting.

The victim was hit in the chest, shoulder and leg and has since been
released from hospital.