Six years after 15 Huang Weide A man is on trial after he was killed by a stray bullet while riding in his parents' car on a busy Vancouver street.
Kane Carter has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the Jan. 13, 2018, shootings that killed Huang and another man.
The teen, from Coquitlam, was driving along Broadway and Ontario Street with his parents when he was caught in the crossfire of the gang.
“He was struck by a bullet which entered the right side of his chest but did not exit his body,” Crown prosecutor Don Montrichard told the court in his opening statement.
Breaking news from Canada and around the world
Sent to your email, as it happens.
“The bullet hit several of Alfred Huang's major internal organs, and due to the severity of the injury, he lost consciousness almost immediately.”
The court heard the teenager screamed before collapsing, a moment captured by a car camera and which the prosecution said the jury would see later in the trial.
Huang died two days later, but Carter wasn't charged until four years later.
The 28-year-old entered British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on Monday with the aid of a walker.
Judge Katherine Wedge warned the jury to be aware of potential unconscious bias and not to jump to conclusions just because the defendant is black.
Carter also pleaded not guilty to the murder of 23-year-old Kevin Whiteside, who police say was preparing to kill rival gangster Matthew Navas-Rivas in Vancouver when he was shot. He was shot dead a few months later Located east of Vancouver.
Carter also pleaded not guilty Monday to aggravated assault in connection with a third victim, Shaiful Khondoker, who is scheduled to testify.
The outcome of the case depends on whether prosecutors can prove the identity of the gunman.
The jury is expected to hear testimony from about 50 witnesses as well as video and photographic evidence, but prosecutors acknowledged their case is based almost entirely on circumstantial evidence and they will not try to prove motive.
No witnesses saw or surveillance video recorded who pulled the trigger, and the murder weapon was never found.
The trial is expected to wrap up in late November.
— With files from Rumina Daya
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.