Up front: Frustrated Chemainiacs urge authorities to Park the Park page 3 The big event: Towns cannot live on murals alone page 19 For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com Your news leader since 1905
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Trial could hinge on cop’s reason to open Äre Aggravated assault charge: Crown opens case against Const. David Pompeo in the 2009 Chemainus shooting of Bill Gillespie Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
T Andrew Leong
FireÄghters battle Friday night’s blaze in a woodframe home on Mountain Road. There were no injuries during the inferno that destroyed the family’s home.
Structure Äre destroys Mountain Road home, sparks questions about rural Äre protection Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
F
riday night’s ¿re that left a Mountain Road family homeless further underlined issues of insuf¿cient protection in rural areas of a growing Cowichan region, the emergency program coordinator says. “It’s something I’ll raise with Cowichan Valley Regional District directors,” Sybille Sanderson said. “This ¿re brought home how big a problem this is.” So big, Duncan ¿re crews needed permission from provincial forestry agents to ¿ght the blaze that also threatened dry trees and other Mountain Road homes where there are no hydrants, she explained.
That meant city ¿re¿ghters , backed by members of Cowichan Bay’s hall, responded with water trucks. But revisiting jurisdictions is just one step in a system that may not be able to protect all corners of Cowichan to the same level. “It’s unrealistic to put ¿re departments everywhere people are choosing to build,” Sanderson said. “It’s how to effectively you provide ¿re protection, and you can’t do that with a department that’s 30 minutes away.” Meanwhile, the family affected was provided help from CVRD’s emergency social services. “My understanding is they have insurance, and they did have a place to stay,” she said. “We provided them with a referral to
get some basics, like food and clothing.” Fire¿ghters were unable to save their single-story, woodframe home during the 10 p.m. inferno that may have started on the back deck. “The house is totally, gone,” Duncan ¿re chief Mike McKinlay said of the ¿re, which cause remains under investigation. “We brought Cow Bay (¿re hall) in, and Forestry sent a crew out there. Forestry was doing the checking for spot ¿res from all the sparks.” Fire crews took about an hour to knock down the ¿re. No one was injured. “The people were home. They saw it on the back deck and called the ¿re department. “There were no injuries, but lots of tired guys,” McKinlay said.
hat Bill Gillespie was shot by RCMP Const. David Pompeo on the night of Sept. 18, 2009 on Henry Road in Chemainus does not appear to be under dispute. What Crown counsel is intending to prove is that the shooting wasn’t warranted. Pompeo’s trial on a charge of aggravated assault got underway Tuesday morning in the Duncan courthouse, with Judge Josiah Wood presiding. “This case is with regards to Mr. Gillespie, who was subjected to an injury by being shot by a ¿rearm by Mr. Pompeo,’’ said Crown lawyer Todd Patola in his opening remarks. “From the Crown’s perspective, there was no issue Const. Pompeo did ¿re the ¿rearm that wounded Mr. Gillespie. Was Const. Pompeo justi¿ed in taking the action in ¿ring the ¿reBill Gillespie: arm? The Crown’s position is he was not.’’ shot by police The defence, represented by Ravi Hira, countered there was reason for Pompeo to act the way he did — reason that will become clear as the trial progresses. On the night in question, Pompeo and partner Const. David Barnett pulled Gillespie’s vehicle over on Juniper Road, a small road off Henry Road in Chemainus. Gillespie’s friend, Dale Brewer, was a passenger in his vehicle. “The car drove into a driveway and stopped,’’ said Patola. “The occupants were ordered out of the vehicle and the occupants were ordered to the ground.’’ Gillespie was subsequently shot. The bullet entered the top left lobe of his lung and became lodged in his thoracic vertebrae. Sgt. Ken Kulak, who’s with the Nanaimo Forensic Ident Section, was the ¿rst witness called by the Crown. On the stand, Kulak described the scene he said he attended around 11:30 p.m. “I did a series of photos of the scene between Henry Road and Juniper Road,’’ he said. Kulak also took video of the crime scene the next day, depicting the area as it was when he ¿rst arrived. Some objects, notably blankets on vehicles and blankets on the ground covering exhibits, had been moved. more on page 4
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