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Penticton man who served time for murder back in court facing charges of violence

Murderer faces new charges

A Penticton man who was previously sentenced to nearly 14 years in a U.S. prison for a murder in Washington State close to two decades ago is back before local courts on violent charges.

Bruce Leon Kruger, in his mid-forties, was originally charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his brother-in-law in Spokane in 2007.

Kruger had been in town visiting his sister for several weeks and got into an argument with his brother-in-law.

Both men had been drinking, and police said were intoxicated when Kruger went into the home, grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed his brother-in-law multiple times.

He ended up pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Kruger is now facing charges on two Penticton incidents, one dating back to 2021 and one from June 2024.

According to court documents, Kruger has been charged with two counts of assault, one with a weapon and one causing bodily harm. He was charged with a breach of his release order on Nov. 2, 2024.

Kruger was also charged with aggravated assault, using a restricted or prohibited firearm, and unlawfully discharging a firearm, in relation to an incident on June 12, 2024.

According to court documents, Kruger intentionally shot at one man with the intent to injure or endanger their life.

Penticton RCMP stated that they responded to a 911 call in the 100 block of Westhills Drive, where a male had been reportedly shot in the leg at approximately 7 a.m. that day.

The male was taken to hospital, and was reported to be in stable condition.

Police said the shooting appeared to be a targeted incident with no identified risk to the public.

Kruger is currently in custody and had an appearance in court on Wednesday. He is due back in court on Jan. 22. None of the recent charges have been proven in court.

- With files from the Canadian Press



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