Gunfire on Seventh Avenue East

New Years Eve played out like a prime time police drama for the residents of Seventh Avenue East, as a 34 year Prince Rupert resident managed to get a hold of an RCMP officers handgun and fire off a round before being subdued by responding members of the detachment.

As reported on Podunk Saturday night, RCMP had Seventh Avenue East blocked off from 7:00-9:30 as their investigation into the incident continued.

From the Daily News here is the report on the incident.

MAN HELD AFTER GUNSHOT
James Vassallo Daily News reporter

Two police officers received broken bones during an alleged New Year's Eve melee that saw a man arrested and one of the officers' handguns fired.

Police report that at around 7 p. m. on December 31 a lone officer attended an alleged domestic disturbance in the 1400 block of Seventh Avenue East. Upon arrival the officer was allegedly attacked by a male at the residence.

"The member attended the residence, fought the suspect and called for back-up," said Const. Alain Beaulieu, RCMP media liaison. "When the second member arrived, (the suspect) was able to get a grip on one of the officers' side arms and a shot was fired."

He said the bullet went through the pant leg of one of the officers, ricocheting off something and striking the officer's boot. Although the bullet did not break flesh, the impact on the boot broke one of the officer's toes. he said a second officer sustained a broken wrist during the incident. A third member was also involved in the situation but received no injuries.

A 34 year old man has since been charged with two counts of assault, two counts of assaulting a peace officer, one count of assault with a weapon, one count of discharging a firearm with intent and one count of disarming a peace officer.

The individual charges have maximum sentences of anywhere from five to 14 years imprisonment, however maximum sentences are rarely handed out.

The New Year's Eve incident was the most significant one Prince Rupert police dealt with, although a young male was also robbed while walking home later that night. At 3 a. m. the victim was accosted in the 800 block of Summit Avenue where he was threatened and robbed. He received no injuries and RCMP are looking for the public's help in identifying the assailant.