RCMP reassures residents after shots fired in Charlie Lake

CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — Police are reassuring the community there is no need for concern after reports of gunfire were heard in Charlie Lake this weekend.

According to Staff Sergeant Scott Watson of the Fort St. John RCMP, the department received reports of gunshots in the area of Old Hope Road in Charlie Lake at around 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 26th. 

In response, five officers surveyed the area with weapons.

Residents raised concerns in a Facebook post that day after spotting officers with rifles going through the area. 

“There was a report of gunfire in the area, so members attended and obviously taking proper precautions, they were armed up,” says Watson. 

Watson says officers found a man using his .22 calibre rifle for target practice on his property. 

“What he was doing wasn’t illegal, but it was just a conversation about the noise and obviously concerns that were generated from the neighbours,” said Watson. 

The staff sergeant is advising people who discharge weapons in rural areas to inform their neighbours. 

“In this situation, had he let the neighbours know he was going to be doing some target shootings, we wouldn’t have been called,” Watson concludes.