A Merritt man has been charged after allegedly shooting at his neighbour’s house this weekend.

Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says police were called to a home in Kane Valley at 8 p.m. on Friday night, saying Merritt RCMP officers and members of the Southeast District Emergency Response Team responded right away to the high-risk incident.

“It was a call that came in as a neighbourhood dispute that obviously quickly escalated to a very dangerous situation. I am mindful though that not only is there parts of the investigation that are ongoing, but this matter is before the courts.”

Police say a man and woman in the home that was shot at were helped out by RCMP officers. “The pair were unable to safely escape from the potential danger on their own,” Sgt. Josh Roda says.

O’Donaghey couldn’t elaborate on details of the dispute, but a man was arrested without incident at about 2 a.m. and police searched his home and seized a shotgun after that.

Fourty-four-year-old Christopher Skidmore now faces charges including uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, unlawfully discharing a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm and careless use of a firearm.