Lawyer brings bullet-ridden door to court

A defence lawyer brought a bullet-ridden door into Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench on Wednesday as evidence during a trial for a man accused of firing a gun into the bathroom door his ex-girlfriend was hiding behind.

The 23-year-old accused faces charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, assault and possession of a firearm and ammunition while being prohibited.

On the first day of trial, the alleged victim testified that she and the accused got into an argument on March 27, 2023, during which she went into the bathroom and locked the door.

She told the court the man was yelling and banging on the door. After she called 911 and the accused left the residence, she said she saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in the exterior of the bathroom door and later found several shell casings.

While she testified that she didn’t hear or smell a gunshot, she believed the accused shot at the door with a long gun she had seen him use before. She said he used it to shoot her mattress in the past.

The Crown alleges the accused fired a bullet into the door, but that it only penetrated one side.

A publication ban on any information that could identify the alleged victim was ordered after the Crown requested it on the second day of trial. The Sun is not naming the accused to ensure the ban is not breached.

Mike Knipping, the defence’s only witness, has been shooting competitively since 1975 and has been the president of the Brandon Wildlife Association Junior Rifle program for the last 15 years.

Defence lawyer Philip Sieklicki met Knipping at the shooting club on Tuesday evening, where Knipping used a .22-calibre rifle to fire more than a dozen shots at a hollow-core door, all of which went through both sides. Sieklicki played a video of Knipping shooting the door and showed close-ups of the bullet holes in court.

Sieklicki questioned Knipping about how often misfires happen and what that means.

“Misfires actually happen quite often, but that means the primer is not offsetting the powder, and the bullet will not fire,” Knipping said.

Knipping further explained that a “hangfire” is when the bullet doesn’t “perform the same way it normally does” and could happen if there’s not enough powder in the bullet.

“How often does that happen, or has it happened to you?” Sieklicki asked.

Knipping said in the last 45 years, during which he has fired more than 100,000 rounds, he has only experienced a hangfire once.

“We obviously heard the rifle being shot, Mr. Knipping. Based on your experience of using .22 (calibre) rifles … are they ever quieter than what we heard?” Sieklicki asked, referring to the shots fired in the video.

Knipping said no and added that silencers aren’t allowed in Canada.

In cross-examination, Crown attorney Grant Hughes asked Knipping about the quality of the firearms he usually uses and how he maintains them.

“You’d agree that you’re using quality firearms and quality ammunition, correct? Because you don’t, you don’t want them to mess up in the middle of the competition, right?” Hughes asked.

Knipping agreed. He said he cleans his firearms regularly and each time it takes roughly an hour.

Hughes continued to question him on how loud the shots were, pointing out that he wasn’t wearing ear protection and how far away the video was taken.

He also confirmed that Knipping didn’t shoot the exact same gun as the one the accused allegedly used or the same door. Knipping agreed.

“You’d agree with me that a hangfire is possible?” Hughes asked.

“Yes, it is possible,” Knipping said.

The lawyers plan to make their closing arguments and conclude the trial today.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com