A Hedley man who shot at a moving car on a residential street and then phoned police to report the incident will have to wait two months to learn the cost of his crime.
Peter Pillipow told Princeton court Thursday that he deeply regrets shooting at a reckless driver.
“My first mistake was taking the [gun] out,” said Pillipow. “It was all very reactionary. There was frustration and fear…I felt that it was the only option to keep my wife safe.”
Pillipow pleaded guilty to careless use or storage of a firearm.
Court heard that on September 2, 2017, several phone calls were made from Hedley to the Princeton RCMP detachment, reporting that a vehicle was racing on the streets and doing burnouts.
The two officers who were dispatched to investigate received a radio call while on their way to the village, telling them shots had been fired.
“Peter Pillipow advised that he was the person who had shot at the jeep and he said he shot at the jeep because Lukas Veit [the driver] terrorized the village on a weekly basis,” said crown attorney Ann Lerchs.
Lurches said Pillipow was afraid Veit would drive the car towards his wife, who was on the street recording the incident with video.
“He said he aimed low so he wouldn’t hit anyone and he fired at the ground near the front tire.”
Bird shot flattened the tire and made holes in the radiator.
Lurches asked the court to impose a conditional sentence of six months house arrest, followed by two years probation and a five-year weapons ban.
Micheal Patterson, appearing for the defense, argued that Pillipow faced extreme provocation. He said Pillipow should receive a conditional discharge, which would leave him without a criminal record following the completion of conditions.
Pillipow is a self-employed contractor, and will lose his contracts if he has a record, said Pillipow. A fire arms conviction would also make it difficult for him to travel and cross the border.
He pointed to a positive pre-sentence report and said Pillipow is “an upstanding citizen in the community.”
Patterson revealed that after the shooting incident Veit and another man made threats to do “serious harm” to Pillipow and his wife, and the couple has since moved to a gated community for safety.
Judge Michelle Daneliuk said she will hand down a sentence in January. “I have two wildly divergent proposals in front of me,” she said.
She told Pillipow: There is no escaping the fact that this was an incredibly dangerous situation, created by yourself.”
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