N.B. man told police he wanted to kill Torontonians; friendly dog
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Updated at 18:55 on June 24, 2004, EST. |
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TORONTO (CP) - A man who told police he was bent on going on a
murderous rampage believed people in his native New Brunswick were nice,
so he planned to gun down people in Toronto instead - until a friendly dog
changed his mind about the city's residents.
The man drove from the Maritimes with a carload of guns and
ammunition intending to kill as many people in Toronto as he could, he
told police. But a last-minute encounter with a woman and her dogs in a
lakefront park convinced him Torontonians are nice too.
"He wanted to start a killing spree," said Det.-Sgt. Bernadette
Button. "He didn't indicate why, but (did say) that the people in the
Maritimes were nice so he thought he'd come up to Toronto."
By chance, he encountered a woman walking her two dogs.
"One of the dogs approached him and it was playful and they got
into a bit of a tug-of-war," Button said.
"He decided that the people in Toronto were nice and he didn't want
to continue with his operational plan."
James Stanson, 43, was charged with eight weapons-related offences
after a man surrendered to police Wednesday in front of a supermarket in
the peaceful east-end neighbourhood known as the Beaches.
Stanson, wearing a scruffy light-brown jacket, appeared in court
Thursday afternoon after being examined by a psychiatrist. A scruffy beard
and moustache obscured lacerations on his round face.
Justice Richard Schneider ruled the accused would undergo further
psychiatric assessment before June 30 and appear again in court for a
progress report on July 14. At that time, the court will decide whether
Stanson is mentally fit to stand trial.
Stanson was also remanded to the hospital unit of a Toronto jail so
that he can be placed under suicide watch.
Police said a man had a loaded gun in his pocket and a car crammed
with more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition and had intended to start firing
in the park on a sunny summer afternoon.
The man was a dog owner and his car was packed with doggie blankets
and a big plastic dog dish still filled with dry kibble. Police said he
had left his own dog in New Brunswick.
After visiting the park, the man, who police describe as mentally
ill, drove around the city looking for a police officer.
Const. Fraser Douglas, 25, was responding to a shoplifting call in
front of the nearby supermarket when the man drove up behind his cruiser
and honked his horn.
"He asked the officer who he approached for (psychiatric) help, or
he was going to do something serious," Button said.
At that point, the man said he had intended to go on a shooting
rampage.
Officers tallied the cache Wednesday night, counting carton after
carton of bullets.
The list included: a 12-gauge shotgun, a bolt action rifle with a
telescopic lens, a 9-mm semi-automatic, a machete, throwing knife,
camouflage ski mask, black leather gloves, and 6,296 rounds of ammunition.
Police say they have a dog to thank, but do not know the identity
of the pet's owner.
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| The Canadian Press, 2004
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