Man facing weapons charges granted bail

A man was granted bail on Thursday after he allegedly failed to follow court-ordered conditions related to weapons charges tied to a fatal shooting.

Ferlin Bone, 33, appeared virtually in court from the Brandon Correctional Centre on charges of failing to comply with a no-contact order, reside at a Winnipeg address and not to attend Waywayseecappo First Nation except for any court dates.

Bone remains charged with possessing and pointing a prohibited firearm from August 2025. The Crown stayed a second-degree murder charge in March, which can be re-laid for up to a year.

Crown attorney Melania Cannon opposed Bone’s release to protect the prosecution’s case involving eyewitness testimony as the investigation into the death of 23-year-old Anthony Whitstone is ongoing.

“Based on the breach allegations as they now stand, is that he is not taking his charges — which are very serious charges — seriously, and that he’s not prepared to follow conditions if released into the community,” said Cannon in Brandon’s provincial court.

Court heard Bone was initially released on bail in spring, but he was arrested on new charges after he allegedly violated a no-contact condition by calling an intimate partner 146 times from jail.

The woman is a witness in the Crown’s case.

“I cannot describe any of the content of the calls,” Cannon said, adding there’s concern about whether Bone tried influencing the woman’s testimony to obstruct justice.

She said police were also alerted that Bone was in Waywayseecappo First Nation in April shortly after he was released from custody. When RCMP tried to check up on him at his Winnipeg residence, officers found that no address existed and issued a warrant.

Around 6:30 p.m. on June 6, Bone was arrested in Waywayseecappo First Nation after police found him “extremely intoxicated” with a group people at a house. Police had received a report requesting four intoxicated people be removed from the home, Cannon said.

She said police are continuing to investigate what happened the day Whitstone died in the community, saying it was “essential” that Bone not interact with any witnesses involved in the investigation.

Manitoba First Nations Police were called to a residence shortly after 6 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2025, for a report of a man who had been shot in the abdomen. The victim was unconscious and not breathing and was pronounced dead in a hospital, she said.

Police spoke to multiple witnesses who allege they saw Bone in the driver’s seat of a red GMC Jimmy, with his girlfriend in the passenger seat, Cannon said.

Witnesses saw the victim and Bone get into a “heated exchange” before Bone left the driveway and returned with the barrel of a gun sticking out of the driver’s-side window, she said.

“A single gunshot was heard, and Mr. Whitstone was observed to fall to the ground, at which point the Jimmy drove away,” Cannon said.

Bone surrendered to police a few days later.

“Subsequent to his arrest, as police continued their investigation, they discovered that there were actually multiple people in the Bone residence, or around the Bone residence, at the time of the shooting,” Cannon said.

She said new forensic evidence indicates at this stage that Bone did not shoot Whitstone or fire a gun at all. No firearm was seized from his SUV and no gunpowder residue was found in the vehicle, she said.

None of the allegations have been tested in court.

Bone’s defence lawyer, Bob Harrison, said his client was in Waywayseecappo First Nation in June to sign some paperwork and he “made a mistake” in doing so.

He said any conversations Bone had with his intimate partner while in jail were focused on their eight children.

“But as I said, he’s learned the hard way there’s severe consequences for this,” Harrison said.

Harrison suggested Bone be released on conditions to reside in Winnipeg, abide by a curfew, not attend Waywayseecappo First Nation or contact any witnesses and be prohibited from possessing any weapons.

Judge Patrick Sullivan said he would release Bone on most conditions suggested by the defence with the addition of an ankle monitor and an exception to the no-contact order, permitting him to see his children.

“Mr. Bone, I want to be very clear with you … how thin the ice is on which you stand and how careful you have to be in terms of understanding the conditions that you will be subject to,” he said.

His next court date is on Nov. 4 in Waywayseecappo First Nation.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com