Police charge Meteghan River man after moving cars hit by gunfire

A Nova Scotia man is facing more than a dozen charges after police say he shot at passing cars from his front porch.

On June 29 shortly before 7 p.m., a report came into Meteghan RCMP that a car had been damaged by a weapon, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Joyce said Saturday.

Witnesses told police that the man was on the porch of his home on Highway 1 in Meteghan River, Digby County, shooting a gun toward vehicles as they drove past.

"Police view this matter as very, very serious," Joyce said.

Police say eight people came forward to report their vehicles had been damaged. Joyce said the damage included metal being penetrated and tires being struck and flattened.

One person's home was also hit.

Joyce said a 46-year-old man from Meteghan River faces 13 charges, including eight counts of mischief under $5,000, and a number of counts related to the possession and use of firearms.

More than 20 guns were seized as part of the investigation, Joyce said, some of which were pellet guns. He said it appears that a pellet gun was used in this incident, but police are still looking into whether other gunswere used as well.

A 'tragedy' was avoided, say police

Whether it's a pellet gun or any other type of gun, Joyce said shooting at moving vehicles is dangerous and could have led to the deaths of vehicle passengers, or anyone walking in the area.

Although some people may think a pellet gun is not a serious weapon, Joyce said they could be lethal in situations like this by striking a driver in the eye or startling them.

"The scenarios that could result in something like that are just endless. Fortunately, in this incident a tragedy did not follow," he said.

Joyce said no injuries have been reported.

The man has been released from custodyand is scheduled to appear in Digby provincial court on Aug. 24.