CAMPBELL RIVER, Canada – The head of an outlaw motorcycle club based on Vancouver Island has been charged with first degree murder in the 2016 death of a mixed martial arts fighter, in what investigators are calling a “significant” arrest.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) of British Columbia, which investigates gang-related crime in the province, says Richard (Ricky) Ernest Alexander is in custody pending further court proceedings related to the death of John Dillon Brown.
Brown was found dead inside his car about 75 kilometres from Campbell River on March 12, 2016, and his death was deemed a “targeted” homicide.
Police say Alexander is well known as the president of the Devils Army Motorcycle Club based in Campbell River.
They describe the Devils Army as a “one per cent” outlaw motorcycle club formed in Campbell River in 2009.
In a statement Friday, police say the investigation involved 200 officers from both the CFSEU and Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crimes Unit, including the execution of a search warrant at the Devils Army clubhouse on Aug. 10, 2017.
“While a charge of first degree murder is significant in any circumstance, this charge is particularly significant as it involves a long-time high ranking member of an Outlaw Motorcycle Club,” Chief Superintendent Trent Rolfe said.