Charges laid after innocent B.C. pair killed in targeted shooting

Leanne MacFarlane, 43, and Jeffrey Taylor, 42, were shot and killed in May 2010.

Leanne MacFarlane and Jeffrey Taylor were shot and killed 8 years ago

The Canadian Press ·
The victims, Leanne MacFarlane and Jeffrey Taylor, were shot and killed at a home just outside of Cranbrook, B.C. in 2010. On Monday, RCMP announced that two people have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with their deaths. (CBC)

Police say murder charges have been laid in the shooting deaths of two people in southeastern B.C., eight years ago.

Officers were called to a rural residence near Cranbrook in May 2010. Leanne MacFarlane, 43, was dead and Jeffrey Taylor, 42, was in critical condition.

Taylor died of his injuries a short time later. RCMP said the shooting appeared to have been targeted but that they pair may not have been the intended victims.

Mounties say there have been numerous developments in the case over the years, which was dubbed Project E-Navaid.

Now, police say two former Cranbrook residents have been arrested and each charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

They say Colin Correia, 41, was arrested in Edmonton on Saturday. Sheldon Hunter, 30, was taken into custody in Drumheller, Alta., on Sunday.

Both will be transported to Vancouver, where they are scheduled to appear in B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Sgt. Jason Smart says MacFarlane and Taylor's deaths took a toll on their community.

"The murders of Jeff and Leanne were tragic and their deaths deeply impacted the lives of their family members,'' he says in a news release.

"The core group of investigators dedicated to this file would like to thank those family members for their persistence, understanding, patience and courage throughout the last eight years.''