MAN SHOT AT POT 'GROW RIP' SPURS CRIME FORUM

Abbotsford Police attended their second shooting in a week to find a
wounded man bound, beaten and bloody in the driveway of a rural home
early Thursday, Jan. 22.

Officers were called to a home in the 28200-block of Huntingdon Road -
midway between Lefeuvre and Bradner Roads, on 8 Avenue - around 1:45
a.m. by a man who said he'd been shot.

On their arrival, police found the 42-year-old victim sprawled in
front of the home with gunshot wounds to his torso, said Const. Casey
Vinet. The man was transported to hospital, where he underwent surgery.

A police dog tracked down two other men hiding at the back of the
property. The pair had been tied up with zap straps in an outbuilding
on the property but managed to escape without injury.

The shooting appears to be a result of a marijuana "grow rip" gone
bad, said Vinet.

"Investigators discovered a marijuana grow-op at the property, which
had all the equipment consistent with a large-scale organized
operation," he said.

Investigators are searching for at least two men who wore masks during
the shooting and then escaped in a red Chevrolet Avalanche stolen from
the property. The SUV was located by Surrey RCMP later that morning.

The victims involved are still being questioned by
police.

Vinet said he wouldn't characterize the men as being known to police,
but investigators are looking into their background. Charges in
relation to the grow operation are yet to be determined, he said.

There was no indication the incident was connected to the brazen
daylight shooting that took place near a shopping mall on Tuesday
afternoon, Jan. 20, said police.

Jamie Bacon narrowly escaped that incident with his life, after
gunfire erupted at the intersection of Sumas Way and South Fraser Way.
He was sitting at the intersection in a black Mercedes SL55 when a
gunman in another vehicle opened fire, riddling his car with bullets.

Peeling away from the intersection down South Fraser Way, Bacon bailed
out of the car within a block or so, leaving it to careen down an
embankment and slam into the front steps of the Abbotsford Keg.

Officers located Bacon hiding behind some businesses located south of
his smoking car.

Jamie Bacon and his brothers - Jarrod and Jonathan - are all
well-known to police. All three were briefly detained last week after
police got a report of men who were possibly carrying a gun at a local
mall.

In 2006, Jonathan, the oldest brother, was shot several times outside
the family's east Abbotsford home.

Abbotsford police have put up a 24-hour surveillance camera to monitor
the family's house after death threats were made against the brothers
by rival gangs.

Vinet said the Abbotsford Police are doing everything they
can.

"Two shootings in two days is a serious problem. We understand the
public's frustrations and share their concerns," he said.

Shootings are difficult investigations because they often require the
help of witnesses who are either uncooperative or unwilling to come
forward, he said.

"In some cases it's the result of fear, and in other cases it's
because the people who we need to help us are involved in a criminal
lifestyle themselves."

Organized crime and the drug trade are lightning rods for violence, he
said. "Being involved in organized criminal activities such as
marijuana grow operations is very dangerous and risky business.

"[Thursday's shooting] is once again evidence of that."

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Det. Chesley
at 604-864-4708 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-8477.