Richard Chacon, a 31-year-old man, was fatally shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 25, 1999. Vancouver Police records identify July 25—not October 1—as the date of the homicide. Chacon was originally from Huntington Beach, California, and had been living in Vancouver for approximately three years. He was involved in the city's entertainment scene, having hosted a short-lived talk show on CFUN radio, and he was reportedly developing a local television program at the time of his
death.
In the early morning hours, Chacon was working as the manager of The Car Wash, an after-hours nightclub operating at 1180 West Hastings Street. At approximately 3:30 a.m., nearly 100 people were inside the club when a confrontation erupted between two men. Rather than remain on the sidelines, Chacon moved in to break up the fight. Police described one participant as a blond-haired man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and the other as a dark-skinned man who may have been Black. Chacon approached from behind the blond-haired man and attempted to pull him away from the other man.
During the struggle, a gunshot suddenly rang out. The blond-haired man was struck in the stomach, and moments later Chacon collapsed after being hit by the same bullet. The other wounded man survived but was left confined to a wheelchair. Chacon did not survive his injuries. What had begun as an effort to stop a fight had turned into a homicide in a crowded nightclub filled with potential witnesses.
One of the most significant clues emerged immediately after the shooting. Police learned that someone in the club shouted words indicating that a person named “Trevor” had just shot someone. Investigators came to believe that people who were inside The Car Wash that morning knew who “Trevor” was, but police were unable to establish his identity. Despite the large number of people present, investigators did not publicly identify the gunman.
Years later, Vancouver Police continued to highlight Chacon’s killing as one of the city's unresolved homicides. His case was among those chosen for the department's cold-case initiative, which was intended to bring renewed public attention to murders where investigators believed additional information from witnesses or other members of the community could still lead to the person responsible. Police described Chacon as someone who was trying to help others when he was shot.
No publicly documented arrest, criminal charge, trial, or conviction has been announced in connection with Chacon’s killing. Vancouver Police continue to list the homicide as an ongoing cold case, and the unidentified “Trevor” remains the central name associated with the investigation. The circumstances suggest that investigators have long believed people who witnessed the shooting may possess information capable of identifying the gunman, but the case has remained unsolved.
