A Victoria man who injured a driver and blew out her car window when he fired a pellet gun from a housing complex on Johnson Street has received a 30-day sentence.
Thomas Wood, 40, pleaded guilty in Victoria provincial court to possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He also pleaded guilty to mischief for being reckless in damaging the car when he fired the pellet gun from a second-floor balcony of 844 Johnson St., a supported-housing complex for former tent-city residents, on the afternoon of June 6.
“He said he was very sorry in court,” said Crown prosecutor Steve Fudge. “He admitted he had been under the influence of intoxicants at the time that it happened. He couldn’t really explain why he had a pellet gun, let alone why he was shooting it out into the street.”
However, it’s clear Wood wasn’t aiming at a person or intending to hit the car, said Fudge.
“He was just shooting into the street. In fact, there’s some evidence that he might have been shooting at a street sign on the other side of the street and the car just drove into the path of the pellet,” Fudge said.
The driver received minor scratches when shards of glass went flying through the air with some force, he said.
“It was a very scary thing,” said Fudge. “Traffic on Johnson Street being what it is, if the driver had been startled or frightened and suddenly swerved, she could easily have hit another car or pedestrians. There are a lot of people in that area who aren’t very careful where they cross the street. There was potential for something much more serious.”
Wood will be able to serve his 30-day sentence in the community, although it’s not clear if he’s still living at 844 Johnson St. The conditional sentence will be followed by 12 months of probation. Wood has also been ordered to pay a $100 victim surcharge fine.
