The man at the centre of a police-involved shooting in June of 2009 is facing further charges in connection to another alleged assault in Gibsons.
On Sunday, May 8, just before 1 p.m., Sunshine Coast RCMP were called to Gibsons by a resident who was involved in a dispute with a family member who had been allegedly threatened with a hammer.
"The complainant had managed to leave the home and he advised that the suspect was still in the residence," said Staff Sgt. Herb Berdahl. "Police attended the scene and attempted to establish contact with the suspect, without success. The suspect locked himself in the residence and refused to communicate with police for approximately two hours.
"The police established a perimeter and eventually, with the use of a loud-hailer, were able to speak to the suspect and convince him to give himself up. He subsequently unlocked the front door and surrendered to police without incident."
Leonard Joel Kirkham, 36, was arrested and made his first appearance in Sechelt provincial court on Monday. He was charged with uttering threats, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace. He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance, scheduled for May 25.
Kirkham was shot twice by RCMP in late June of 2009 when they were asked to attend a home in the 600 block of Crucil Road at the request of Langley RCMP regarding a complaint of allegedly uttering threats on a social networking site.
Officers met with Kirkham and his father and spoke to him for approximately 20 minutes inside the home, when Kirkham somehow got a hold of a claw hammer and advanced towards the officers holding the hammer above his head. One of the officers discharged his sidearm, striking Kirkham twice. Kirkham was treated at the scene and rushed to hospital for surgery.
Following his recovery, Kirkham was charged with assault and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace. He is scheduled to go to trial on July 12 in Sechelt to face those charges.
