Trial underway for man accused of killing B.C. RCMP officer during 2023 drug raid

The first-degree murder trial for the man accused of killing RCMP Const Rick. O’Brien during a drug raid is underway.

The trial for the man accused of killing RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien during an exchange of gunfire at a Coquitlam condo is now underway in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.

Nicholas Bellemare, the defendant, was also shot that day.

The court heard O’Brien and his Ridge Meadows RCMP colleagues were executing drug warrants at three different locations, all related to the same investigation, on Sept. 22, 2023.

At the Coquitlam condo, O’Brien was the lead officer responsible for making entry into the 22^nd floor unit with a battering ram.

According to the Crown, after breaching the door he was shot almost immediately with a prohibited AR-15-style rifle.

A second officer was also injured by gunfire, then a third officer shot Bellemare in the forearm.

Bellemare, then 24 years old, spent several days in hospital.

He appeared in court Monday wearing a black suit, with a white button-up shirt and no tie. He showed no obvious visible signs of injury related to the gunshot wound.

Several of O’Brien’s relatives, friends and colleagues were also in court. Some wore buttons with O’Brien’s face on them, and others had blue ribbons on their lapels.

Following opening statements from the Crown and defence, Crown read an agreed statement of facts that are not in dispute in the case.

The court heard the condo was rented by a man named Christopher Michael Brett Perry.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Bellemare was just 15 years old when he met Perry online.

Perry was then 38 years old—and the Crown said around that time, police investigated Perry for possible child luring in relation to his interactions with Bellemare.

No charges came of that investigation.

The Crown told the court RCMP officers considered the raid that day to be a medium risk to officer safety and had no information to indicate there may be firearms in the condo.

Bellemare was not a subject of the investigation.

The Crown said the trial will hinge on three key questions: Did Bellemare know O’Brien was a police officer when he allegedly shot him? Did Bellemare intend to kill Const. O’Brien? And was Bellemare acting in self-defence?

In addition to one count of first-degree murder, Bellemare is also on trial for attempted murder and multiple weapons offences.

The Crown said police found 61 grams of crack cocaine, 724 grams of powdered cocaine, and seven grams fentanyl in the condo, along with MDMA and $5,770 in cash.

Bellemare has not been charged with any drug or trafficking offences.

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