Crown counsel has dropped charges against a man in connection with a drive-by shooting in Sooke last summer that was followed by a manhunt on the West Shore.
Dustin David Brown, 21, had been charged with occupying a vehicle knowing there was a firearm in it. During a preliminary inquiry last week at Western Communities provincial court, the Crown stayed the charge.
The shooting took place on Ella Road in Sooke on June 14. Two men, whose identities are protected by a court order, were taken to hospital.
One was shot in the arm and released from hospital almost immediately after treatment.The other man was shot in the chest and sustained significant injuries.
Brown’s co-accused, Joshua Nickolas Lafleur, 25, and Damien James Medwedrich, 21, were captured after a five-day manhunt that shut down Thetis Lake Regional Park and prompted several nearby elementary schools to lock their doors and keep students inside.
Lafleur and Medwedrich are charged with two counts of attempted murder using a firearm. They remain in custody.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com
