(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Violent crimes

Shooting suspect found hiding in stranger’s basement: court testimony

Apr 8, 2020 | 8:30 AM

A man responsible for a shooting in Prince Albert’s West View area last fall, has received a four and a half year jail sentence.

On Tuesday, Konnor Mercredi, 21, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including robbery with a firearm, unlawfully being in a house, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon (bear spray), possessing a firearm while prohibited, and breaching an undertaking.

The incident happened in the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 2019 at a residence on Muir Drive. According to the statement of facts read in court by Crown prosecutor Cynthia Alexander, the victim was outside his residence smoking a cigarette when he was approached by Mercredi. Holding a gun, Mercredi threatened the man, and demanded he hand over the keys to his van.

The victim did not comply and attempted to grab the gun from Mercredi’s hand. During the struggle, the gun went off. Panicking, Mercredi deployed bear spray before fleeing the scene. He ran to a neighbouring residence, broke through a screen door, and hid in the basement. The homeowner called the police and Mercredi was arrested.

Alexander explained the victim expressed relief about not having to testify at trial, and provided a victim impact statement saying he still had nightmares about the event. The victim lost the tip of his finger in the incident which he said caused him difficulty maintaining employment.

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Mercredi received credit for roughly 10 months spent in remand. Upon his release, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm for life, and must provide a DNA sample to the national registry. The firearm was forfeited to the Crown to be destroyed. The sentence represented a joint submission from the Crown and legal aid lawyer Rebecca Crookshanks.

Prior to the shooting incident, Mercredi was released on an undertaking on charges out of Fond Du Lac. Those charges include assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and breach of probation, and have not yet been resolved. Mercredi’s next scheduled court appearance in relation to those matters is June 18.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell