Court reduces prison sentence for man who fired multiple shots into B.C. RCMP detachment

A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

Paul Nicholas Russell was convicted last summer of firearms offences and fleeing from police, but was acquitted of attempted murder, in relation to the November 2021 shooting at the Vanderhoof police station.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for time he had already served in custody since his arrest. But on Tuesday, the B.C. Court of Appeal cut that sentence down to five years.

The incident triggered a community-wide lockdown as rifle bullets tore through the detachment and struck several vehicles in the parking lot in what Mounties later described as "fluid mayhem."

An emergency alert was sent to cellphones in the community, advising residents to shelter in place, and other RCMP detachments in the surrounding area were put on notice as the 36-year-old gunman, wearing a fedora and mirrored aviator sunglasses, took up several firing positions from his pickup truck, according to court records.

The shooting lasted for several minutes shortly after noon on Nov. 25, 2021. It ended just as abruptly when Russell drove away, leading police on a pursuit down Vanderhoof's main street and colliding with an RCMP vehicle that had arrived to assist from Prince George, approximately 100 kilometres away.

• Related: Mounties describe active shooter situation in Vanderhoof, B.C.

Russell was found not guilty of attempted murder as the judge concluded that she could not rule beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to kill one or more people when he fired his rifle into the windows and vehicles of the police detachment.

He was instead handed a global sentence of 10 years for reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, careless use of a firearm, mischief endangering life, and flight from police.

The decade-long sentence was beyond the typical range for the charges involved and did not give proper consideration to Russell's failing mental health as a mitigating factor, the Appeal Court ruled.

"Both of these errors affected the fitness of the sentence that was ultimately imposed," the court found.

Justice Janet Winteringham, writing the decision on behalf of the Appeal Court, said evidence of Russell's psychosis at the time of the shooting was well documented by medical professionals and members of his family.

"Fortunately, he has responded well to the anti-psychotic medication prescribed during his time in custody," Winteringham said. "The appellant has the support of family who are aware of his mental illness and what is required for him to stay well."

In place of the earlier sentence, the Appeal Court imposed a four-year sentence for reckless discharge of a firearm and mischief endangering life, plus a one-year consecutive sentence for flight from police – altogether constituting a global sentence of five years in prison, less the time Russell has already served.