VANCOUVER

Two men charged with murder, conspiracy during B.C.'s gang war

The Canadian Press Published Monday, January 25, 2016 4:39PM PST Last Updated Monday, January 25, 2016 4:40PM PST

RCMP say Jonathan Barber was the innocent victim of a gang war.

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VANCOUVER - Two alleged gang members have been charged with a pair of murders nearly a decade after a gang war peaked across British Columbia's Lower Mainland.

Police have announced first-degree murder charges against 32-year-old Troy Tran of Vancouver and a 31-year-old man whose identity is not being released to protect the integrity of an upcoming court proceeding.

The charges relate to the killing of Jonathan Barber in 2008 and of Kevin LeClair the following year.

Barber, a stereo installer, died in a hail of gunfire in Burnaby while driving a vehicle owned by one of the leaders of the Red Scorpion gang. LeClair was shot at a shopping centre in Langley.

Police say Tran and his co-accused are believed to be members of the United Nations gang, which was embroiled in a violent turf war against its rival Red Scorpion gang between 2007 and 2009.

The two man have also been charged with conspiracy to murder the three leaders of the Red Scorpions, brothers Jarrod, Jonathan and Jamie Bacon, and their associates.