A man accused of killing two people in separate drive-by shootings did so to advance his gang status, a prosecutor told a trial Tuesday.
Dillon Ricky Whitehawk, 27, has pleaded not guilty to two first-degree murder charges in the 2019 killings of Jordan Denton, 27, and Keenan Toto, 23, in Regina.
The men were shot on different days within three weeks, but prosecutor Adam Breker told a jury that they died in the same way during a war between two street gangs.
Mr. Breker said Mr. Whitehawk was in a vehicle that had pulled up to each victim while they were on foot and he questioned them about their gang status before shooting them.
“He had no knowledge of who these victims were before he shot them,” Mr. Breker said in opening arguments.
“They were each killed simply because they were believed, or loosely suspected, to be rival gang members based on almost nothing. They were simply in the wrong place in the wrong time and lost their lives.”
Mr. Breker said Mr. Whitehawk intended to kill the two men to raise his status and profile in his gang.
The first witness to testify was a police officer who responded to the first shooting in November, 2019. Mr. Denton’s body was in the snow of a home’s yard.
Constable Amber Hawker told court that she and her partner performed chest compressions for about four minutes on Mr. Denton before emergency medical workers pronounced him dead.
Mr. Denton was killed with a .22-calibre bullet, the Crown told the jury.
Mr. Breker added that Mr. Toto was shot the following month with a rifle that was legally purchased by a former gang member at a hunting and outdoor recreation store.
The street gang scene in Regina “was particularly volatile” at the time of the shootings, Mr. Breker said. “There was a war of sorts going on between two gangs.”
One was associated with the colour red and the other, of which Mr. Whitehawk was a member, with black, Mr. Breker said.
“To be wearing red in the City of Regina, in certain areas of the city, could be a particularly dangerous proposition, whether or not you were a gang member,” Mr. Breker said.
He suggested the second victim, Mr. Toto, was wearing partly red shoes, and a red T-shirt under a hooded sweatshirt when he was shot.
However, during cross-examination, Constable Hawker said she didn’t see the first victim, Mr. Denton, with any red clothing on.
Later, photographs of Mr. Denton’s body presented in court show he was wearing a red T-shirt under other layers of clothing. The backpack he was wearing that night was also presented in court and it appeared to be red and black.
Mr. Denton’s cousin saw him the night he was killed. He told the court Mr. Denton was in a gang but didn’t recall which one, saying he avoided talking about gangs with his cousin.
Mr. Breker said Regina street gangs typically operate within a hierarchy. Putting in work or doing jobs for a street gang can raise an individual’s or gang’s profile.
“Dillon Whitehawk was trying to rise, and trying to rise fast.”
The trial is expected to last three weeks and the Crown intends to call more than 30 witnesses.
Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.