Nanaimo man charged in shooting at downtown homeless camp
A 37-year-old Nanaimo man has been charged in connection with a shooting earlier this month at a homeless camp in the city's downtown core.
Craig Truckle of no fixed address was arrested without incident around 11 p.m. Wednesday by Nanaimo RCMP patrol officers. He was charged the following morning with one count of pointing a firearm without a lawful excuse.
Clint Smith, the 49-year-old owner of a Nanaimo auto repair shop, was shot in the stomach and seriously injured on March 12.
He and five other people were at a homeless encampment in Barsby Park, trying to retrieve property that was stolen from Smith's business.
Jeff Callaghan was with the group trying to get the stolen items back when he said someone came out of a tent with a rifle.
"We managed to get all the stolen property together and when we got up the hill they were shooting at us," Callaghan said the day after the shooting.
In a statement posted to social media on Thursday, Smith said he has undergone three surgeries since the shooting and had a portion of his colon removed.
"The professionals at NRGH [Nanaimo Regional General Hospital] worked furiously to save my life," Smith said, adding that he was temporarily put in a medically induced coma.
"The staff that have taken on the task of keeping me alive are literally nothing short of miracle workers. I feel that I am alive and can post this is wholly due to their teamwork, understanding, and compassion," he added.
"Please let me be the last person shot in Nanaimo."
The Nanaimo RCMP have warned residents against such acts of vigilantism in the wake of the incident.
"If the police had been contacted, we could have gone in and possibly resolved this situation safely," Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O'Brien said.
"The one thing we can't accept is people putting themselves in harm's way. This is a situation where somebody could have died as a result of stolen property."
Truckle is scheduled to appear in Nanaimo provincial court on Tuesday.
The Nanaimo RCMP said Monday it would not provide more details on the matter, citing a publication ban in the case.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.