NANAIMO — A judge has convicted a man of first-degree murder in relation to a drive-by shooting in Nanaimo five years ago.
Ronald Joseph Campbell, 44, was handed the judgment in Nanaimo Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in relation to a central Nanaimo daytime shooting behind the Wendy’s restaurant on the Island Hwy. at Rock City Centre on May 20, 2021.
The decision carries an automatic life sentence, and he won’t be eligible to apply for parole for 25 years.
The opening day of his trial this past July outlined Crown counsel’s case, contending an unknown person arranged Campbell to murder Yasin Khan, which Nanaimo RCMP believe was tied to a Lower Mainland gang conflict.
The Crown stated the victim was shot three times as he sat in his reverse-parked SUV after meeting up with another person during the sunny afternoon in question.
Prosecutor Gregory Furmaniuk contended Campbell, driving a white Cadillac Escalade, pulled in front of Khan’s car and fired five shots.
One bullet passed through Khan’s left cheek and went out the other side of his face, another hit his left arm, and a third shot into his torso, injuring Khan’s heart, lungs and spleen, Furmaniuk told the trial.
Khan was pronounced dead on scene.
The accused’s SUV was found unsuccessfully burned on Gilfillan Rd. in the north Jingle Pot area following the fire, the trial heard.
Three other suspects were then arrested at the Best Western Northgate Inn hotel on Metral Dr.
A loaded Glock handgun with Campbell’s DNA and fingerprints was found on the weapon, Crown counsel relayed during the opening day of the trial.
The first-degree murder charge against Campbell was applied over two years ago following an extensive police investigation.
He’s represented by Victoria-based defence attorneys Jordan Watt and associate Bryan McPhail, while the Crown’s Nick Barber prosecuted the case with Gregory Furmaniuk.
Veteran Nanaimo-based high court Justice Douglas Thompson is overseeing the trial.
More to come.
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