deadmonton 2006 - dung tri tran
Dung Tri Tran, 35, was shot to death July 24th, 2006.
Case status is open and active.
It was high noon on the Avenue of Nations when the city recorded its seventeenth murder of the year, the third in five days.
The medical examiner's office had barely cleared the last body off the slab when in was rolled a man in his mid-30s suffering from fatal gunshot wounds to the chest.
The broad daylight shooting took place about 12:45 p.m. near the intersection of 112th Street and 107th Avenue.
A black Infiniti SUV was southbound on 112th Street when it was rammed head-on by a silver Chevrolet minivan.
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Earwitnesses heard four to seven shots of varying loudness fired before the van left the scene. An early report said a person standing on the street had fired some of the shots. One person was also reported to have fled the area on foot.
The driver of the Infiniti bailed out of his car north of 107th Avenue, blood coming from his mouth, nose and chest, and then collapsed on a sidewalk.
The car continued rolling southward, across the avenue, coming to rest against a building. Three of the car's side windows were shattered.
The man was taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
Homicide and the gang unit were called in and the tactical team flooded the area in search of an Asian man in his late 20s. A five-block stretch of 107th Avenue was cordoned off all afternoon.
The Chevrolet minivan was located ninety minutes later behind a residence near 111th Avenue and 113th Street. The newer-model vehicle was displaying rental plates.
Police used dogs to look for a suspect who was described in an early report as having a stocky build, spikey hair and was wearing a muscle shirt and red shorts.
A link to gangs or organised crime was not initially confirmed, and a spokesman said, "This incident does appear to be serving a purpose. That purpose is still to be determined."
In a later statement police said it was not known how many people were in the van, how many shots were fired, what type of gun was used, where the shots were fired from or whether there were multiple shooters.
A witness who saw police attend to the man on the ground described the bullet exit wound on the right side of his chest as "big."
Another witness said, "He was shot through the lungs, so what was happening was blood poured out of his nose, out of his mouth. He couldn't breathe."
Area residents said the black Infiniti was frequenty parked in front of the Sideline Cafe. The Cafe closed early.
An autopsy completed July 25th, 2006 identified the victim as 35-year-old Dung Tri Tran of Edmonton. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Tran was known to police and was the subject of a large drug bust in the summer of 2005.
On August 10th, 2005, police raided Tran's north Edmonton townhouse and found 235 grams of crack cocaine, 391 grams of powder cocaine and $5,000 in cash.
Tran was charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of $5,000 knowing it was the proceeds of crime and two charges of breach of recognizance.
Police from Red Deer and Edmonton also charged four others as part of the investigation, which also included the seizure of weapons and vehicles. The RCMP said at the time Tran had gang connections.
All of Tran's charges were stayed on October 14th, 2005. Crown prosecutors had one year to re-activate the charges.
One of the suspects in the $140,000 bust was eventually deported from Canada on other drug charges.
The day after Tran's shooting Edmonton police had few details to add to word of the investigation.
"One person ran on foot from the scene and somebody drove the van away, so there's at least two people involved. The early indication is that one person got out of the van and shots were fired," said a police spokesman.
No description of the suspects was released.
CTV Edmonton contacted the registered owner of the black Infiniti. The owner's wife appeared on camera and said her husband bought the vehicle but had given it to a friend over her objections.
Police said Tran was in the process of purchasing the vehicle which carries an average price tag of $50,000.
On July 26th, 2006 Edmonton police revealed that a large amount of suspected cocaine was found in Tran’s vehicle.
Police said the suspected cocaine was approximately 1 kilogram in weight and had an estimated street value of $25,000.
They also declared Tran's homicide to be both drug and gang related, but declined to name the gang or gangs involved.
On June 30th, 2006 Edmonton police Insp. Rick Bohachyk told a meeting of the Community Solution to Gang Violence that the 187-member Crazy Dragons are the "biggest problem" among the 18 known criminal groups operating in Edmonton.
Bohachyk said Crazy Dragon gang "bosses" pay their leaders $5,000 a month.
Bohachyk added that 7 Crazy Dragons members are currently facing murder charges, 4 are facing attempted murder charges and 27 are suspects in murders in Edmonton within the last ten years.
Cpl. Rick Goldstein of the Red Deer RCMP Drug Section told the Edmonton Sun, "I think (being murdered) is an accepted risk within the drug-trafficking world."