Man shot in leg by RCMP officer sentenced to jail
Crown says officer feared for his life and elected to retire early from the RCMP after incident
A P.E.I. man was sentenced on Thursday for an altercation with an RCMP officer that led to the officer shooting the man in the leg.
Cory Russell Levy, 34, pleaded guilty in February to assaulting a peace officer. He was sentenced by Judge Nancy Orr to five months in jail and probation for two years after his release. He was given credit of 78 days for time already served.
Levy was also sentenced for impaired driving, several breaches of his undertaking and violating an emergency protection order.
The court heard that a Kings District RCMP officer was called to Levy's home in Rollo Bay, P.E.I., on Dec. 4, 2017, to investigate an impaired driving complaint against Levy.
Levy then hit the officer with closed fists and continued to assault the officer, managing to pull the bullet-resistant vest from the constable.
Despite the tussle, the officer managed to fire three shots, hitting Levy in the left knee with one of them. Levy was then handcuffed.
The Crown said this was an experienced officer who feared for his life and after what he went through, elected to retire early from the RCMP.
Levy read a statement to the court accepting full responsibility for his actions, apologizing to the public, his family, and to the officer.
The defence said Levy has problems with alcohol and that the person he was that night is not reflective of his true self.
Levy said it's been a long road to recovery and he plans to practice the principles learned in Alcoholics Anonymous.
The judge noted Levy had a criminal record before this. Judge Orr said the officer was just doing his job when he went to Levy's home and "it's not part of the job to be physically attacked." She also said it was unfortunate Levy was shot, but he shouldn't have behaved the way he did.
The Serious Incident Response Team from Nova Scotia, an independent unit that investigates serious incidents in which police are involved, investigated the incident but has not yet released its findings.
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With files from Katerina Georgieva