Video of deadly ambush in Calgary suburbs released following failed bid for publication ban
Talal Fouani accused of money laundering for international drug traffickers months before shooting
A Calgary judge has released a video showing the daytime ambush of a couple who were both outside their southwest home last August.
Nakita Baron, 31, was killed in the attack. Her husband Talal Fouani, 48, was badly injured.
At the time of the shooting, Fouani was facing criminal charges connected to a $55-million drug trafficking investigation. In March, Fouani pleaded guilty to money laundering but has since applied to withdraw his plea.
Investigators have not connected the organized crime charges with the shooting.
A week after Baron was killed, Michael Tyrel Arnold, 34, of Sherwood Park was arrested by Edmonton police and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
WATCH | CCTV footage shows a person approaching a vehicle as it backs out of a driveway seconds before shots are fired
The video — security camera footage from a neighbour's home — along with other court documents were filed as part of a failed publication ban and sealing order application sought by defence lawyer Yoav Niv on behalf of his client.
Fouani wanted a ban on the information, evidence and arguments connected to his criminal proceedings.
But on Monday, Justice Greg Stirling rejected Niv's application, thus lifting the interim ban on those materials.
'Sitting on death row'
In an affidavit written by Fouani, he described living in a state of fear following the shooting.
"I feel as if there is a constant target on my back and I am sitting on death row waiting for the day when I will be killed," Fouani wrote in an affidavit.
At around 8:20 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2022, Fouani and Baron were headed to a farmers' market, according to his statement.
The video shows the shooter dressed in an orange construction vest walking with a small dog on a leash.
The killer can be seen walking up to the couple's Bentley as it backs out of their driveway in southwest Calgary.
"As we were leaving the home in my vehicle, a man I had never met before approached us," wrote Fouani in his affidavit. "He was dressed like a construction worker and had a dog with him. He shot me in the face and shot Ms. Baron."
The video shows the man pull out a gun, raise it to the driver's side window and shoot both Baron and Fouani. CBC News has posted an excerpt of the video edited so it does not include the shooting and its aftermath.
Baron was killed. Fouani survived but was in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator.
According to his affidavit, beyond ongoing physical injuries — he has a bullet fragment in his throat and suffers from nerve damage — Fouani suffers from PTSD, panic attacks and flashbacks.
Fouani told the court he lives in fear of being ambushed.
Two months before the fatal shooting, Fouani and two of his siblings were charged in connection with Project Cobra, a years-long investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering.
Fouani was accused of laundering money for Canadians involved with importing drugs from Mexican cartels.
Police alleged the group of men and women charged in Project Cobra were moving cocaine and methamphetamine produced by Mexican cartels to Alberta.
According to ALERT, Ricco King, 50, is accused of being the top figure in the criminal organization. King faces charges of trafficking, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.
Trials have not yet taken place for the co-accused.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
