An eye witness who unwittingly drove the culprits to the scene of a double murder recalled what he saw and heard as a B.C. Supreme Court trial for one of the accused entered its second day Wednesday.
Perry Andrew Charlie faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Thomas Burt Reed of Burns Lake and David Laurin Franks of Prince George and a count of attempted murder with a firearm in relation to Bradley Knight, the soul survivor of the Jan. 25, 2017 targeted shooting.
Co-accused Seaver Tye Miller and Joshua Steven West have each pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and Aaron Ryan Moore to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and await sentencing.
Testifying at the Prince George courthouse, Thomas Lee said he owned a van with sliding doors on both the driver and passenger sides and had been driving for hire at the time. At Miller's request, Lee told the court he had picked up the four and drove them to a pullout on Foothills Boulevard a short distance north of North Nechako Road.
He said they waited a short time and then a car holding three men pulled alongside. Miller, who was sitting in the front passenger seat beside Lee, told the others to get ready and then threatened Lee and a friend he had brought along and was sitting in the very back of the van.
"He looked at me and said, 'if you say anything to anyone, I will f--g kill you and your friend,'" Lee told the court.
Lee said he saw West pull two shotguns out of duffel bag and hand one to Miller. They exited the van, appeared to have taken the safeties off the shotguns and seconds later, they started firing, Lee said.
An avid hunter, Lee said he heard 15-20 rounds fired over about 30 seconds and while most of them sounded like buckshot, he said he heard one "really loud bang" he believed was a slug round.
Asked if he heard anything from the victims, Lee said he heard one say "they're going to shoot us, go, go, go!"
He said that was when their attackers opened fire.
"I heard him say 'oh no, no, no, oh god, oh god, and then it just went quiet," Lee testified and added he heard glass shattering and what sounded like bullets hitting the car's hood.
He said victims' car revved a couple of times and went silent.
Lee also said Charlie had been sitting directly behind him when they arrived and that he also heard what sounded like small-calibre rounds being fired from outside the driver's side of the van.
But Lee said he did not see who was firing them. He initially said he did not recall hearing the driver's-side slide door being opened but, after he was given an opportunity to read a portion of testimony he gave during a preliminary inquiry, said he did remember hearing the sound.
"Somebody else had gotten out, that's pretty much all of it," Lee said and then confirmed he did not see the person who had left.
After the gunfire stopped, Lee said Miller picked up some spent shells and folded them into a rubber mechanic's gloves he had been wearing and had peeled off in the process.
He and West then jumped back into the van and West put the shotguns back into the duffel bag.
Lee said he did not hear any of the other doors being opened or closed.
"I was just so traumatized that I just looked forward and pretty much just blocked it out," Lee said and confirmed he did not look into the back when the events were going on.
He said West told him to "go, go, go, go" so Lee backed up, turned around and headed to Miller's home on Diamond Drive in the Hart. Miller told him to step on it, but Lee said he made a point of sticking to the posted speed limit.
During the drive, Lee said he heard West say, "see guys, I told you I had the grapes," and Miller say that he and the victims were friends but it was "something that had to be done." Neither Charlie nor Moore said anything, Lee testified.
When they arrived at Miller's home, the four went inside while Lee and his friend were told to wait. Asked why they didn't leave, Lee said he was told to stay and was "very much in fear for my life."
After about 20 minutes he said Moore and West came back out and got into the van. Miller followed and told Lee he would drop by later and pay him for his help, and told him to drive Moore and West home. By that time, Miller and Moore were dressed differently, he said.
As they headed into downtown Prince George, RCMP pulled the van over. Lee said he was "very nervous" by that time and did not tell police what happened when he was taken to the detachment.
"Honestly, I didn't know what I should say, what I should do or anything," Lee said. "The reason why I didn't was because I was honestly still fearing for my life."
Lee said he has since moved "more than once" and continues to fear for his life "a little bit."
It is Crown prosecution's theory that Franks had offended someone in the local drug culture, a hit had been ordered on him and he was lured to the spot under the pretext of carrying out a drug deal. Reed had offered to drive Franks to the site and Knight was along for the ride.
The trial before a judge alone continues Thursday.
