Men charged in Cape Breton shooting have criminal backgrounds, court records show

The three men charged in a fatal shooting in Cape Breton have criminal backgrounds, according to court document

Cape Breton Regional Police has confirmed the three men charged in the shooting death of a man in Whitney Pier, N.S., over the weekend are known to police elsewhere in the country.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mal Chol, 22-year-old Goaner Mark Tut and 19-year-old Letjor Geng – all from outside the Maritimes – are each charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jeffrey Pearson, 44, at a home on Shore Road at about 12:45 a.m. on Saturday.

Court documents obtained by CTV Atlantic list Chol’s address as one in Waterloo, Ont. The documents say the other two men lived in Calgary.

On Tuesday, Cape Breton Regional Police said it is not clear how the three accused ended up on Cape Breton Island.

“We’ve been contacted by other police services across the country in relation to the three”, said Insp. Bill Turner. “I can’t get into what those conversations were, but they are known to… not known to us but known to other police services in the country.”

Turner said police are continuing to treat the shooting death as an isolated incident, and said there is no reason for public concern regarding safety.

The court documents also show that each of the accused has been ordered not to have contact with 20 people - including one another.

When asked whether organized crime might be involved in the case, or whether they expect to make more arrests, Turner said he couldn’t comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The accused made brief court appearances on Monday, and remain on remand at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre pending their next court appearances at later dates.

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