A Vanderhoof man, who opened fire on the community's RCMP detachment with a .30 calibre rifle nearly two years ago, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for his actions.
Less credit for time served prior to sentencing, Paul Nicholas Russell has seven years and 28 days left to serve for the Nov. 25, 2021, incident.
In issuing the term, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Francesca Marzari largely endorsed Crown prosecutor David Jardine's position that Russell's actions warranted a sentence in the range of 10-12 years.
Jardine had emphasized the planned and deliberate nature of the attack, its impact on the detachment's members and on the community at large.
Defence lawyer Donna Turko had argued for time served plus a lengthy period of probation, noting Russell had no previous criminal record and that he was struggling with a mental illness, significantly reducing his moral culpability.
Earlier Tuesday, Russell issued an apology when given a chance to speak to the court and went on to say he did not recognize how sick he was at the time, that the medication he is now on is keeping him "right thinking" and will likely need medication for the rest of his life.
But Marzari said she remained concerned about Russell's ability to remain stable outside an institution and that a firm psychiatric diagnosis remained lacking.
However, if not for Russell's expression of remorse and potential for rehabilitation, Marzari said she likely would have issued a sentence in the higher range of what Crown prosecution was seeking.
That no one was injured was "simply a matter of luck."
"I consider Mr. Russell's moral culpability in this case to be very high and the gravity of the offences to be very blameworthy," Marzari said.
Wielding a hunting rifle and wearing mirrored sunglasses and a fedora, Russell drove his pickup truck to the detachment shortly after noon on a busy workday and began pulling the trigger repeatedly.
He initially struck marked but unmanned RCMP vehicles parked outside and then the building itself as he circled around.
Hearing the sound of high-powered gunshots, the detachment's commanding officer, Sgt. Kyle Ushock, looked through his blinds and saw what turned out to be Russell in the driver's seat of the pickup cycling the action on the rifle.
Just as Ushock yelled for everyone to hit the floor, a shot burst through a window on the west side and through a computer screen where the office manager would likely have been sitting if not for the lunch break. The round also narrowly missed Ushock as it continued on before lodging in office equipment.
Russell then drove away only to return roughly five minutes later when he rammed an RCMP vehicle and two more rounds were sent through a window on the east side.
Fortunately, no one was in that side of the building at the time and by then, everyone inside the west side had retreated to a secure area with no windows.
An active shooter alert was issued, nearby schools were locked down and police from as far away as Prince George, Fort St. James and Fraser Lake raced to the scene.
About a half-hour later, Russell was located and while not driving at an excessive speed, he failed to pull over despite the lights and sirens as he progressed along Burrard Street.
When an RCMP officer swerved his vehicle into the oncoming lane to stop Russell, he rammed the cruiser and continued on to Highway 16. Shortly after, he turned into the parking lot of a business where police, guns drawn, apprehended Russell.
Russell was sentenced to 8 1/2 years on counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm and mischief endangering life and to a further 1 1/2 years on fleeing police.
