Regina Gang Initiation Involved Drive-by Shootings, Court Hears
A woman who grew up immersed in gang life testified before a Regina jury that she was unaware of any plans to kill two men in a pair of drive-by shootings that occurred in late 2019. However, she acknowledged that witnessing the first incident, which resulted in the death of Jordan Gaiton Denton on November 9 of that year, served as her official initiation into the gang.
Witness Details Fatal Incidents
The witness, whose identity is protected under a court-ordered publication ban, stated that she was present in the vehicle during both shootings but did not pull the trigger. Instead, she identified Dillon Ricky Whitehawk as the shooter. Whitehawk, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder as his trial commenced in Regina's Court of King's Bench on March 2, 2026.
According to her testimony, the initial plan on November 9, 2019, involved several members of the Indian Mafia (IM) gang intending to rob someone who had "messed with" two IM members in the vehicle. After spotting a police officer, they abandoned this plan and returned to Regina's North Central neighborhood, where they encountered Denton.
Shooting Described as Gang Conflict
The witness recounted that Whitehawk inquired about Denton's gang affiliation, and upon hearing a response that suggested association with the Native Syndicate Killers (NSK)—a rival gang at war with the IM at the time—the situation escalated. "The guy started trying to run away and Ricky shot him in the back," she testified, using the nickname "Ricky" for Whitehawk, as was common among gang members.
She described Whitehawk carrying out the shooting from the back passenger seat of a two-door car, with her testimony aligning with that of other former gang members. Following the incident, a woman referred to as the "crew boss," who was in charge of the other women in the car, was "hyping" up the witness, indicating the shooting's role in her initiation.
Cross-Examination Reveals Inconsistencies
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Thomas Hynes, the witness agreed that the crew boss had been seeking revenge that night, as the robbed IM members included her boyfriend and a subordinate. However, she denied any possibility that she or the crew boss conducted the shooting.
The witness also admitted to providing police with a different seating arrangement in January 2020, which placed the crew boss as the driver and Whitehawk in the front passenger seat. She explained that she lied about the vehicle's style and color to protect her then-boyfriend, who owned the actual car used in the shootings.
In the second fatal incident on December 1, 2019, involving Keenan Scott Toto, the witness reiterated her presence in the vehicle without participating in the shooting. Her initial statements to police claimed ignorance about the perpetrators of both murders, but court proceedings have since unveiled her direct involvement and the gang-related motives behind these violent acts.
