Two men facing multiple charges in connection with Vancouver’s 11th homicide of 2021 will go to a preliminary hearing, a provincial court judge heard Jan. 21.
The Vancouver Police Department said the 40-year-old victim Michael Bailey was shot inside the London Hotel at 208 East Georgia Street in the Downtown Eastside early on July 20, 2021.
Initially, both suspects fled the area, police said, adding investigators believed the incident was targeted.
Three weeks later, Ba Hui Tran, 26, of Vancouver, was charged with one count of manslaughter.
Joseph Mason, 37, also of Vancouver, appeared in court over a video feed and was charged with one count of second-degree murder.
Tran did not appear in court as he is in custody in a COVID-19 droplet protocol area and elected not to leave his cell.
Preliminary hearings are held to determine if enough evidence exists to go to trial. They are covered by a publication ban to protect potential jurors from contamination. The men have yet to elect a trial by judge or one by judge and jury.
The men’s next appearance will be Feb. 11.
Mason also faces a breach of a probation order, while Tran faces charges related to breach of probation and a breach of court orders.
