Courtenay man's missing guns used in shooting, home invasions

Guns purchased by a Courtenay man sentenced last month on firearms charges have turned up in several criminal cases, including a shooting and two home invasions.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robin Baird handed Bryce McDonald a 40-month sentence Nov. 7 for storing restricted firearms in an unauthorized place and in a careless manner.

But McDonald was never charged with the fact that more than 30 restricted firearms he purchased went missing — something Baird said earlier was “probably sinister.”

Now more details about where some of the guns ended up have been released in the judge’s written reasons for sentencing.

An affidavit filed by the Crown at McDonald’s sentencing hearing said police found six of the missing guns while investigating other crimes, including a June 21, 2014 shooting at Brentwood Mall that injured a man.

“In July 2014, a suspect turned himself in claiming responsibility for this shooting.  He surrendered the gun that he had used. It was a 9mm Luger registered to Mr. McDonald,” Baird noted.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit raided McDonald’s house and storage locker in December 2013 and found just 19 firearms, both restricted and unrestricted, even though records showed McDonald had purchased 49 restricted guns since getting his licence in 2009.

That led to a dozen charges against McDonald, a Hells Angels associate.

CFSEU Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said Friday that the investigation into McDonald was closed, despite the fact that some of his missing guns have turned up in other criminal cases.

“That investigation into McDonald … concluded,” Houghton said. “But, like in any case, (there could be) a re-examination or new investigation should new information come to our attention.”

Other guns owned by McDonald were found:

• on June 16, 2014 when Mounties responded to a complaint of a home invasion in progress on Canada Way in Burnaby.  Police found a loaded Storm Ruger handgun registered to McDonald in the suspect’s vehicle.
•  on January 26, 2015, when a man was arrested in Vancouver for shoplifting.  Police found three Glock firearms concealed on him, two of which were registered to McDonald.
• on June 8, 2015, a man was arrested in Vancouver in a stolen vehicle. The suspect’s house was later searched and a Beretta handgun registered to McDonald was found.
• on February 25, 2016, the Calgary Police investigated a home invasion in which five masked persons armed with knives, a bat, and a gun entered a residence, tied up two people and assaulted them. Police later found the suspects and searched a vehicle they had stolen, finding a loaded .40‑calibre Glock handgun registered to McDonald, an over‑capacity magazine containing ammunition and a balaclava.

Photo credit: Combined Forces Special Enforcement 2013: Firearms seized by anti-gang police investigating Courtenay resident Bryce McDonald.

“I remind myself that Mr. McDonald was not charged with and has not been convicted of firearms trafficking.  The Crown makes no such allegation.  But the issue of the missing guns is surely an aggravating factor on the present convictions which focus upon Mr. McDonald’s flagrant misconduct as a licensed gun owner and the scope of his unlawful behaviour in managing his gun collection,” he said.

Baird said McDonald had lied when asked what happened to the missing guns.

“Mr. McDonald knows perfectly well where these guns have gone, but he has refused to tell the truth about it,” Baird said. “Instead, he has brazenly and repeatedly lied to me about this issue, and his dishonesty has persisted down to the present moment.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

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