'Reckless, senseless, and stupid': Yellowknife men sentenced for shooting at Fraser Arms apt.
Two men who sent RCMP on a high-speed chase through Yellowknife after a shooting at the Fraser Arms apartment building have been sentenced to jail time.
The incident started at 9:30 p.m. on April 26, 2015, when Travis Campbell shot at a man in the parking lot of the apartment complex in downtown Yellowknife, terrifying many of its residents.
Campbell, 28, was in his car with Brendan Paul, 20, when the man pulled up in his truck and they got into an altercation. Campbell shot at the pickup 10 times from a Glock pistol, hitting the man in the shoulder.
Details of the shooting have been revealed in Justice Shannon Smallwood's written decision from January. Smallwood said the victim's pickup truck was hit by eight bullets. Two bullets hit the apartment building — one lodging in a living room wall just a few feet from a man who was watching the shooting from his window.
Campbell and Paul fled the scene in the SUV. RCMP spotted them at about 11 p.m. at the Shell gas station on Range Lake Road.
What followed was a "lengthy pursuit through residential areas, through school zones, where Mr. Campbell drove through stop and yield signs, drove on the wrong side of the road, drove well in excess of the speed limit, damaged the vehicle he was driving as well as a parked vehicle and a police vehicle," Smallwood said.
The pursuit finally ended on Grace Lake Boulevard, a dead-end street, when the SUV stopped suddenly and an RCMP vehicle slammed into the back of it.
'Pure luck' there weren't more injuries
The victim underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder. The judge said he didn't file a victim impact statement.
"Although I do not think it takes a giant leap in logic to conclude that being shot at multiple times and struck by a bullet would have an affect," Smallwood said.
"And I can only imagine the fear the residents of [the] Fraser Arms apartment building and [the victim] experienced during the shooting incident."
She called it "pure luck" that no one, including Campbell, was more seriously hurt.
"You could be before this court facing a charge of murder. Your actions overall that night were reckless, senseless, and stupid. You put many lives at risk. Firstly, yourself. You could very easily have been shot by the police officers."
Campbell was originally charged with two counts of attempted murder, but in the end pleaded guilty to three charges: intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless as to the life or safety of another person, attempting to evade police, and carelessly transporting a firearm. Paul pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact by helping Campbell to escape.
'Deplorable' actions
During the pursuit, Paul threw the handgun used in the shooting out the window of their vehicle and it landed on a lawn. The homeowner found the gun and called the RCMP. It was later determined that it had been stolen from a Yellowknife home the month before.
"Being an accessory after the fact is a serious offence," Smallwood said of Paul. She sentenced him to 30 months in prison.
She said she hoped this would be his only conviction and he would make a "fresh start" and learn from his mistakes.
Smallwood sentenced Campbell to five and a half years in prison.
"Your actions were deplorable," she said.
Smallwood said Campbell had a number of letters of support from family and friends and had not previously been in trouble with the law.
Campbell was ordered to pay restitution of $8,000 to the RCMP for damage to their vehicle.
Both men are also prohibited from possessing a firearm for 10 years.
