Man accused of shooting windows with BB gun takes shot at bail

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This article was published 11/03/2024 (918 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A judge decided to reserve his decision on whether the 18-year-old facing a slew of charges for allegedly shooting out the windows of multiple vehicles on 13th Street and a high school last month.

Zackarie St. Pierre-Scott, 18, is facing 29 charges for multiple counts of mischief, discharging a firearm and using an imitation firearm.

During a bail hearing on Friday, the Crown argued against the 18-year-old’s release on grounds that he was likely to re-offend and that his release from custody would shake the public’s confidence in the justice system. Defence however, highlighted the uncertainty about the type of gun used to shoot out the windows and argued that the man’s risk could be managed in the community.

Crown attorney Sarah Kok read the evidence for the charges in court. The charges against St. Pierre-Scott have not been proven in court and he is innocent until proven guilty.

On Feb. 17, police received a call about two vehicles that had been shot at while they had been parked in a driveway the previous evening. The caller had video surveillance showing a man walking up to the cars and shooting out the back windows of each vehicle. The man’s face was hard to see on the video, but police noted that he was wearing “distinctive shoes.”

As police were taking photographs of the damage to the vehicles. They noticed another vehicle on the same street that looked like its rear windshield had been shot through.

They then noticed another vehicle on the same street that had its front windshield damaged and began to walk down 13th Street, noticing vehicle after vehicle with shot-out windows.

A total of eight vehicles were found to be damaged.

A window of the Betty Gibson High School on 12th Street was also shot out during the same time period. The suspect was captured on video surveillance again, but this time an officer was able to identify him.

When police arrested the man at a Child and Family Services home, he consented to a search of his bedroom. There, police found a C02 handgun which was loaded with BBs.

Pointing to the need to consider public protection in arguing against release, Crown attorney said that the firearm has been sent away for testing to determine whether it meets the legal definition of a firearm or is just an imitation one. If it’s found to legally be a firearm, all of St. Pierre-Scott’s charges will be upgraded and will carry a much lengthier sentence, Kok said.

St. Pierre-Scott’s defence lawyer, articling student Jordon Hildebrandt, argued that since the testing of the firearm hasn’t been completed, the court is dealing with uncertainty which doesn’t justify the 18-year-old’s detention.

“I just want to stress that at this point, we’re not sure it’s a firearm,” Hildebrandt said.

He presented a bail plan that would have his client living in a CFS home, under house arrest and under supervision by a CFS worker. He would also be subject to police searches every month.

Judge Patrick Sullivan raised concern with the level of danger posed by the weapon that was used.

He said that he needed more information before making a decision; for example, how the danger of shooting a BB at windows differs from that posed by throwing a rock through them. Currently the charges are laid as imitation firearm offences.

Sullivan reserved his decision on the bail application and asked the lawyers to gather more information about the danger posed by the weapon.

The judge is scheduled to give his decision in provincial court today.

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