The Superintendent of the Kamloops RCMP says he’s pleased with the jail sentence for a man who fired bullets at Mounties, but admits no sentence would’ve been long enough.

Syd Lecky was responding to Shane Caron being sentenced yesterday in Kamloops court to eight years behind bars, minus time served, in connection to a shootout and a 17-hour standoff with police in October of 2017. It happened at the G&M trailer park on Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc land.

“An event like that just rocks us to the core, to be perfectly honest. That event, and I’ve had the benefit of reviewing a review that’s been done on that, and that event – to this day, I don’t understand why nobody was significantly hurt or killed. It is a miracle,” Lecky says.

“I think I’m pleased with the sentence. I don’t think any sentence would’ve been enough. I think I would’ve been happier if he was charged and convicted of attempted murder of police officers, because I think that’s what he tried to do… No question in my mind he was trying to kill a police officer that day. And if that’s the case, I wish he would’ve gone to jail for life.”

Crown prosecutor Chris Balison tells NL News that the 38-year-old Caron pled guilty to a number of charges, most notably discharging a firearm with intent. He says Caron also pled guilty to pointing a firearm at police and possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose, among other charges.

Lecky provided a victim impact statement to the court, and he tells NL News the impact of this event for Kamloops RCMP members will continue through their careers.

“You will carry that for life…. My job is to try and make sure that when they leave their careers they’re going to have a good retirement. And it’s really difficult to see how that’s possible when you see someone go through these types of events.”

Caron was initially also charged with four counts of attempted murder, but prosecutors did not pursue those charges in Supreme Court after Balison says evidence was gathered in a preliminary hearing.