Post by ocelot on Apr 10, 2006 18:21:21 GMT -5
OPP stages major raid on home near murder scene
CTV.ca News Staff
Police raided the home of a known biker gang member in southwest Ontario Sunday, close to where the bodies of eight slain men were found just a day earlier.
Local residents said about a dozen police cruisers were parked on a rural road near Shedden, Ont., where police had also set up a road block.
Police would not release any details, and would not confirm whether their presence was linked to the ongoing murder investigation.
Neighbours told CTV News that the home belongs to a man with known links to biker gangs.
"He's lived there for 20 years," one man said. It's not the first time police have been seen at the location, he added, "but we've had no trouble at all."
One local resident, who refused to give his name, told The Canadian Press that the home belongs to Wayne Kellestine, the former leader of the St. Thomas Annihilators and now-defunct St. Thomas Loners biker gangs.
Edward Winterhalder, a former member of the Bandidos biker gang, told CP he spoke to current members who recognized four vehicles found with the eight dead men, and said they belonged to the gang.
"I can tell you that it's Bandidos that got killed," Winterhalder said.
He added that Kellestine was affiliated with the Bandidos.
However, reporting from the scene, CTV's Denelle Balfour said police are tight-lipped about what they are doing in the area.
"They're saying this is an active investigation and for reasons of operational security they're not giving us anything else," Balfour reported Sunday. "They're not even telling us if it's connected to the original finding of the four vehicles and the eight bodies."
Victims were known to each other
Earlier Sunday, a detective with the OPP held a press conference and said the eight men found dead in the farmer's field were known to each other and are from the Greater Toronto Area.
Speaking at a press conference, Det.-Supt. Ross Bingley said all the bodies have been taken to the coroner's office in Toronto and post-mortems on the men will be conducted on Monday.
Bingley said police would not comment on the causes of death until the autopsies have been completed, nor would they comment on the identities of the victims or their ages.
The grisly discovery of the murders, the worst mass killing in Ontario history, was made by a property owner near the village of Shedden, about 20 kilometres west of St. Thomas, at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The resident, who is not considered a suspect, noticed three vehicles and a tow truck parked in a wooded area away from the roadway. He called police upon seeing the victims.
Bingley would not comment on rumours that the men were killed as part of a motorcycle gang turf war. He did repeat, however, that there is no immediate danger to people living in the rural Elgin County region.
Investigators believe the killings took place sometime within a 24 to 48-hour period from the time the victims were found.
The men were found in four vehicles: a grey Pontiac Grand Prix, a silver Infinity SUV, a green Silverado tow truck and a Volkswagen Golf.
Police escorted members of the media beyond barricades for a closer look at the area where the cars were found, but there was little left to see. The bodies and vehicles were removed overnight.
The vehicles were taken to Orillia, Ont. for forensic testing and the bodies were taken to Toronto.
Police will keep the crime scene off-limits for at least several days while investigators comb the area for clues.
"Clothing, identification, any evidence that may help us ascertain who they are," OPP Cst. Doug Graham said.
"We wouldn't want the farm owner to encounter (evidence), or anyone from the public," Graham said.
CTV.ca News Staff
Police raided the home of a known biker gang member in southwest Ontario Sunday, close to where the bodies of eight slain men were found just a day earlier.
Local residents said about a dozen police cruisers were parked on a rural road near Shedden, Ont., where police had also set up a road block.
Police would not release any details, and would not confirm whether their presence was linked to the ongoing murder investigation.
Neighbours told CTV News that the home belongs to a man with known links to biker gangs.
"He's lived there for 20 years," one man said. It's not the first time police have been seen at the location, he added, "but we've had no trouble at all."
One local resident, who refused to give his name, told The Canadian Press that the home belongs to Wayne Kellestine, the former leader of the St. Thomas Annihilators and now-defunct St. Thomas Loners biker gangs.
Edward Winterhalder, a former member of the Bandidos biker gang, told CP he spoke to current members who recognized four vehicles found with the eight dead men, and said they belonged to the gang.
"I can tell you that it's Bandidos that got killed," Winterhalder said.
He added that Kellestine was affiliated with the Bandidos.
However, reporting from the scene, CTV's Denelle Balfour said police are tight-lipped about what they are doing in the area.
"They're saying this is an active investigation and for reasons of operational security they're not giving us anything else," Balfour reported Sunday. "They're not even telling us if it's connected to the original finding of the four vehicles and the eight bodies."
Victims were known to each other
Earlier Sunday, a detective with the OPP held a press conference and said the eight men found dead in the farmer's field were known to each other and are from the Greater Toronto Area.
Speaking at a press conference, Det.-Supt. Ross Bingley said all the bodies have been taken to the coroner's office in Toronto and post-mortems on the men will be conducted on Monday.
Bingley said police would not comment on the causes of death until the autopsies have been completed, nor would they comment on the identities of the victims or their ages.
The grisly discovery of the murders, the worst mass killing in Ontario history, was made by a property owner near the village of Shedden, about 20 kilometres west of St. Thomas, at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The resident, who is not considered a suspect, noticed three vehicles and a tow truck parked in a wooded area away from the roadway. He called police upon seeing the victims.
Bingley would not comment on rumours that the men were killed as part of a motorcycle gang turf war. He did repeat, however, that there is no immediate danger to people living in the rural Elgin County region.
Investigators believe the killings took place sometime within a 24 to 48-hour period from the time the victims were found.
The men were found in four vehicles: a grey Pontiac Grand Prix, a silver Infinity SUV, a green Silverado tow truck and a Volkswagen Golf.
Police escorted members of the media beyond barricades for a closer look at the area where the cars were found, but there was little left to see. The bodies and vehicles were removed overnight.
The vehicles were taken to Orillia, Ont. for forensic testing and the bodies were taken to Toronto.
Police will keep the crime scene off-limits for at least several days while investigators comb the area for clues.
"Clothing, identification, any evidence that may help us ascertain who they are," OPP Cst. Doug Graham said.
"We wouldn't want the farm owner to encounter (evidence), or anyone from the public," Graham said.