What we know about the gunman charged in the Kamloops standoff with police | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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What we know about the gunman charged in the Kamloops standoff with police

Shane William Caron, 35, is charged with several offences after a tense standoff with police on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK

KAMLOOPS - Shane William Caron was out on bail when he allegedly exchanged gunfire with police from his father's trailer, and his father says there were no signs this was coming.

Caron, 35, is facing several charges after a lengthy police standoff on Friday, Oct. 27. He's also charged with four counts of attempted murder in relation to taking shots at Kamloops RCMP officers.

His father, Bill McGinn, spoke to reporters at his home before Caron appeared in Kamloops Provincial Court this afternoon, Oct. 30. Caron was remanded in custody and will be back in court on Nov. 6 for his next appearance.

McGinn says his son has no history of mental illness although he had been acting paranoid lately. He says if Caron had been "acting off" in the days leading up to the standoff, McGinn would have had his bail cancelled.

According to online court documents, Caron has four files before the court, including his most recent charges from last week. Caron doesn't appear to have criminal files before this year.

He was charged with several different offences stemming from an Oct. 14 incident, including criminal harassment, assault with a weapon, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Bill McGinn stands outside of his home where his son Shane Caron was involved with a standoff with RCMP.
Bill McGinn stands outside of his home where his son Shane Caron was involved with a standoff with RCMP.

McGinn and his wife, Kathy Caron, say their son was receiving threats in the days leading up to Friday's shootout and was receiving threatening messages on his phone the morning of the start of the standoff. They believe that's why Caron went to get a weapon.

Police said over the weekend officers were initially called at roughly 6 a.m. on Friday for a complaint of an assault at an undisclosed North Shore home. Police began searching for the suspect and checked a home on Nanaimo Street at approximately 9:40 a.m.

The suspect was in the home but when police tried to make contact with him, he allegedly responded by threatening to shoot police.

Eventually the pursuit led to the Mt. Paul industrial area, where the suspect allegedly shot at officers from both inside his vehicle and outside his vehicle. There were allegedly four exchanges of gunfire.

The pursuit led to McGinn's home in G & M Trailer Park located just off the Yellowhead Highway on Tk'emlups reserve.

Shane William Caron.
Shane William Caron.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK

Police said Caron contained himself inside the trailer around 10:30 a.m. Friday and the standoff didn't conclude until 4 a.m. Saturday. The Yellowhead was shut down for the majority of that time.

McGinn believes if police allowed him into his home to speak with his son, the situation would have ended much more quickly.

"If they would have left me in this house — we were here within five minutes of this going down," he says. "They stopped us on that Yellowhead bridge right there. We told them who we are, let me in there I’ll bring that kid out. Nope."

McGinn is also critical of the way police handled the situation and called it a "training session" for Kamloops RCMP.

He says he was on the phone with his son while he was holed-up in the trailer, and said his son was crying and scared. He says police cut off their communication.

McGinn says he and Kathy pleaded with police to let them into the trailer to talk to their son, but police wouldn't let them.

Kathy says her son has always been a good kid, but assumes he's gotten into drugs in the past two years which has caused him to get in trouble. Police have said Caron was on drugs at the time of the incident.

McGinn says his son works at Progressive Rubber in the Mt. Paul industrial area.

Earlier today, Kamloops RCMP Supt. Brad Mueller addressed the incident at a coordinated enforcement task force meeting with members of the RCMP and city staff present. He spoke of his appreciation for the way officers handled the tense standoff, and thanked the public for their cooperation and patience.

Mueller said although there has been criticism and questions raised about whether or not Kamloops should have a municipal police force, the resources police were able to access during the incident was due in large part to the RCMP.

The RCMP's emergency response team from Kelowna along with resources from the Lower Mainland were in Kamloops on Friday to help assist the local force.

McGinn says he and his wife are always going to be there for Caron, and will be attending all of the court appearances they can.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says in a news release officers and first responders involved in the standoff have undergone critical incident debriefing.

"The wellness of all involved is paramount to the RCMP and resources will also be available in the future to help those involved process the traumatic event," Shelkie says. "Given the dynamic and stressful situation that occurred, should anyone in the community need support, RCMP Victim Services is available."


To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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