Casino employees told of 'terrorists' targeting players during break-in
A gang member accused of murdering a casino patron during a horrific break-in learned about the victim's winnings from a former casino employee, Saskatchewan Today reports.
That's the document senior prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt filed in North Battleford Provincial Court in Saskatchewan, Canada, in April 2021 and made public for the first time on Monday.
On October 18, 2019, 27-year-old Ryan Gatzke spent an evening with his pregnant wife at an unnamed casino in North Battleford. Golden Eagle Casino is the only gaming venue in the area.
Schmidt explained in April 2021 that Gatzke won money, "not a lot of money, but some money." "It was a really nice evening for them. They had drinks and dinner," she added.
Night Terrors
Later that night, the Gaitske family was awakened by the sound of their bedroom door opening and saw a man standing in the doorway with a gun.
Their home was attacked by three members of the Terror Squad, a violent local street gang. They are Isaac Melko, Jacob Ballantyne and another man who cannot be named because he was 17 at the time of the murder. The teen allegedly pulled the trigger that killed Ryan Gatzke.
A person who worked at the casino and knew Isaac Melko and Jacob Ballantine told them that Mr. Gaitske had money at home and drugs in the home," Schmidt said in Teenage Suspect said during the bail hearing.
Members of this gang are highly addicted to drugs and alcohol. Melko was armed with an SKS rifle, while Ballantyne, an alleged "general" of the terrorist group, was armed with a 9 mm pistol.
The young man pointed a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun at Gaeske, and a fight ensued. Gatzke suffered two gunshot wounds to his chest and mid-abdomen, one of which severed his right coronary artery. According to court documents, the teen stomped on his body as he lay dying on the floor.
"No mercy"
On Monday, the suspect agreed to stand trial as an adult on a murder charge. The prosecutor's office asked for a ten-year prison sentence.
They described the defendant as a man who had a difficult upbringing and suffered from antisocial personality disorder. Court documents said he had "no remorse" and was "entrenched in the gang with no drive to change."
Last year, Ballantyne was sentenced to eight years in prison and Melko was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Getaway driver Charles McLean was sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter.
It's unclear whether charges will be filed against casino employees.
A spokesman for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), which oversees casino trials, said: "SIGA is aware of an ongoing trial in North Battleford that has received media and public attention." Casino employees at the time of the incident. The suspect is a former employee who briefly worked for SIGA but was not employed by the organization at the time of the incident and is no longer employed by or affiliated with SIGA.
The spokesperson added: “We hold our casinos and employees to the highest standards of training and excellence and look forward to continuing to welcome our guests with a first-class experience at all of our SIGA casino venues now and in the future.”
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Source: www.casino.org
