Surrey shooting could be retribution for Bacon slaying

Police say the Friday night shooting of a high-profile gang member in Surrey may be retribution for the public slaying of notorious gangster Jonathan Bacon last month in Kelowna, butstressthey are trying to keep a lid on the violence.

The RCMP has confirmed that the victim of the Friday night shooting is known gang member Jujhar Khun-Khun, 24. He is recovering in hospital from gunshot wounds.

Khun-Khun's car was sprayed with bullets by several shooters on Friday eveningin the area of 144 Street and 101 Avenue in Surrey.

Sgt. Bill Whalen with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says Khun-Khun is a high-ranking member of a gang known as the Dhak crew. He has had several run-ins with the law, including kidnapping charges, robbery, drug trafficking and several weapons offences.

"He's well known to us and we have been watching him and have we been watching other members of the Dhak crew and other crews," said Whalen.

The Dhak crew is said to have links to the Unitied Nations gang, which has been locked in a violentgang war with Bacon and his brothers' Red Scorpion gangfor a number of years.

"As far as the connection to the shooting in Kelowna, I don't think it's farfetched for us to say that yes, that there's a possibility of some link," he said.

Whalen says since Bacon was shot, police have been watching gang members like Khun-Khun all over the province and have prevented other similar acts of violence.

"We're using all the resources that are at our availability to do our best to get in the way of any of this and to ensure that, A, the violence doesn't happen and B, that public safety is enhanced by doing that," he said.

"Members of the Gang Task Force and other units are working very hard right now and long hours to investigate this situation. Obviously it's a concern for us. Public safety always is," he said.