B.C. youths avoid criminal charges after apologizing for attacking homeless people

Trail and Greater District RCMP decided not to lay criminal charges against eight young people who shot gelatin BB gun pellets at people but later apologized for their behaviour.

Officers responded to a report on Sunday around 11:40 p.m. of youth allegedly targeting people living with homelessness around the La Nina Shelter, located at the 1500 block of Bay Avenue, the Trail and Greater District RCMP said in a press release. Trail is about 630 kilometres east of Vancouver and 12 kilometres north of the Canada-U.S. border. 

Six underage people and two 18-year-olds from Trail and neighbouring municipalities including Warfield, Rossland and Grindrod were in two vehicles while allegedly shooting gelatin pellets that hit multiple people on the street, according to police.

The eight youngsters were cooperative with police officers during the investigation, and showed remorse for what they had done after speaking to one of the victims, Sgt. Mike Wicentowich of Trail RCMP said.

The police issued violation tickets to drivers of both vehicles and contacted the young people's parents and guardians with warnings because no victims provided statements, Wicentowich said.

"The victim [who came forward] chose compassion and to treat this as a teaching opportunity," Wicentowich said in a written statement. "Trail RCMP hope they have learnt their lesson."

He said the police seized and destroyed the toy guns used to fire at the homeless population, and may reconsider criminal charges if other people come forward with statements on the alleged attack.

Pellets hit on multiple parts of body, says victim

Tim, the 36-year-old victim who spoke to the young people after the attack, said he was among several people who were hit by the BB pellets.

"They just started firing at us…the first [car] hit me right in the head, and the second one hit me in the head, the shoulder, the torso [and] the leg," said Tim, whom CBC News agreed to grant confidentiality because he's a victim of crime.

It wasn't the first time the homeless population in Trail has been physically attacked, Tim said, adding other young people have thrown water-filled bottles at him and his wife.

He said the young people who allegedly fired at him "looked really guilty and then really sad," after he told them that they could have killed him if more pellets were fired.

"I was like: 'I know, I understand, you're young, I was young, I was stupid, so I just want you to learn from this and then move on from this,'" Tim said.

Trail RCMP discourage youngsters from firing BB pellets for everyone's safety, Wicentowich said, adding they could have got in real trouble if someone thought they had a real gun and fired back at them.

"Those are the kind of things that can happen, and it could have made this story much more tragic."