Police arrest 3 more, lay murder charges in Surrey, B.C., high-rise slayings

Police said Saturday they have arrested three more people and laid murder charges in connection with the execution-style killings of six people at a Surrey, B.C., high-rise in 2007.

Cody Ray Haevischer and Matthew James Johnson, both 24, have been charged with first-degree murder and being co-conspirators in the slayings of the six people,RCMP Assistant Commissioner Peter German told reporters at a news conference on Saturday.

James Kyle Bacon, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of one of the men, Cory Lal, 21, and as a co-conspirator in the killings, German said, calling it"a very good day."

"This was a despicable act which defies words," he said. "It was a gangland execution fuelled by drugs, gangs and guns."

German said the arrests were the result of a lengthy investigation.

The news comes a day after an alleged member of the Red Scorpions gang pleaded guilty to killing three of the six.

On Friday, Dennis Karbovanec, 28, was charged with the second-degree murder of Christopher Mohan, 22, Ryan Bartolomeo, 19, and Michael Lal, 26, and immediately entered a guilty plea on all three counts.

Four of the victims, Bartolomeo, the Lal brothers, and Edward Narong, 22, were described by police as having criminal lifestyles.

Two of the victims, Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, 55, were described as bystanders who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The RCMP have previously identified Karbovanec and Bacon, along with Bacon's brothers Jarrod and Jonathan, as key members of the Red Scorpions. The gang has been engaged in a violent struggle with the UN gang for control of the Lower Mainland's illegal drug trade.

Mother praises police

Eileen Mohan, the mother of Chris Mohan, thanked officers for their hard work and dedication throughout the 18-month investigation.

Mohan said despite the arrests, her life would never be the same.

"The most important aspect of a parent's life is their children. When Chris was stolen away from us all hell broke loose," she said.

"Our lives forever has changed and, for the Mohan family, it is in pieces. Those pieces can never be brought together."

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts offered her condolences to the Mohan and Schellenberg families, and expressed her relief that the investigation was brought to a close.

"When such a horrific event takes place in a community it really rocks the community to its very core and this is exactly what it did to the city of Surrey," she said.

"It is a good day for the city of Surrey to have these individuals taken off the street."