A fifteen year-old male has been charged in connection with the discharge of a firearm on the weekend that injured a 21 year-old male.
On Sunday, February 26th, at about 2:30 a.m., police were dispatched to a residence in the 2000 block of Wallace Street for a firearms offence. Police located a 21 year-old male who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound. That male was taken to hospital by EMS with injuries described as not life-threatening. Investigation into this incident led to the identification of a suspect who was subsequently arrested by police, without incident, on Monday, February 27, 2017. Shortly after the incident, police recovered the firearm in the residence. It was a homemade device, commonly called a “zipgun”, capable of firing a single round. Through investigation, police formed the grounds to believe that the zipgun was discharged through careless handling of the device. Even though a zipgun is not what most people would think of when they think of a firearm, police remind the public that zipguns are dangerous, unpredictable and result in real injuries and real Criminal Code charges.
The accused is 15 years of age and will not be named in accordance with the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He is charged with:
- Discharge a Firearm in a Reckless Manner, s. 244.2(1) CC; and
- 2 x Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition Contrary to Prohibition Order, s. 117.01(1) CC.
The youth made his first court appearance on these charges in Youth Court at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2017.
