DRUG WAR FEARED AFTER KILLING

Rivals Will Be Looking for Revenge, Says Source Close To
Violence

EDMONTON -- A brutal killing of a young man Friday morning could mark
the start of a drug war, says a source who knows details about the
homicide.

"I firmly believe that this is not over, that this is just the
beginning and they are going to go looking for trouble again," said
the source, who didn't want to be identified for fear of reprisal.
"They are not going to let this go."

Edmonton Police were called to a home in Mill Woods on Friday morning,
where they found the house filled with smoke and the body of a man
inside. The victim, Sergeo Arguello, is Edmonton's 37th homicide
victim of the year.

The source said Arguello -- known by friends as Bobby -- was allegedly
the head of a Latino gang in the city and often had groups of young
men at the house, which he rented about a month ago.

The source said that on Friday morning, sometime before 8:30 a.m.,
Arguello allegedly called one of his two drug runners named Cody, a
man in his early 20s, who was told to do a drug-drop at a service station.

When Cody arrived at the station, two men in ski masks pushed their
way into his car with a sawed-off shotgun and forced him to drive to
Arguello's house, at 3776-20th St.

After entering the two-storey house, they allegedly duct-taped Cody's
arms and legs and threw him on the couch, then went upstairs, where
Arguello was sleeping, the source said. The three men got into a
scuffle and a gun was fired.

The two intruders ran downstairs and started punching holes in the
walls with their fists. They shoved toilet paper into the holes and
set the paper on fire before fleeing.

Cody managed to escape by slipping his hands out of their binds,
because the hooded men had only duct-taped his coat. He freed his
legs, then ran to a friend's house more than four kilometres away.

A call went to 911 at 8:38 a.m. When police arrived at the scene, the
house was already filled with smoke.

"This is a heavily drug-related, gang-related crime," said the
source.

"There is going to be a problem because they are not going to let this
go. They are really not and they are going to go looking for (the man
who escaped)."

Police released no new information about the homicide on Saturday,
although the investigation at the Mill Woods house continued
throughout the day. Yellow police tape bordered the house's front yard
and there was a shattered window on the second floor above the garage.
Arson investigators and the EPS forensics team were called to the
house on Friday to help with the investigation.

Police are still searching for Hector Ricardo Avalos and Jonathon
Issac Zuria, both 19. They face first-degree murder charges and seven
other charges, including use of a firearm in the commission of an
offence, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, kidnapping
with a firearm, assault with a weapon, robbery with a firearm,
disguise with intent and arson.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday to confirm the cause of
death.

Arguello's violent death was the second homicide of the week in
Edmonton. On Monday night, 28-year-old Benson Tak Lee was gunned down
in a Riverbend parking lot. His funeral was held Saturday.

The gang unit has been called in to help with both investigations.