Jailed for shooting tenant

Photo: Contributed

Charles Maskell.

A West Kelowna man who shot his tenant in 2016 will serve another 39 months in jail.

Charles Maskell, 61, was arrested Dec. 2, 2016, after shots were fired at his home on Granada Crescent.

Maskell's lawyer Paul McMurray said his client had rented out rooms in his home to Robert Delve and Tyson Bone after his mother and brother he had been living with passed away.

Maskell kept an unregistered antique handgun that he bought at a garage sale in his room. He and Delve got into an argument on Dec. 2, in which Delve reportedly pushed Maskell and threatened to “cave his head in.”

He responded by pulling out the gun and shot Delve.

Maskell was initially charged with attempted murder, attempted murder for a criminal organization, aggravated assault, and unlawfully discharging a firearm.

He struck a deal with Crown  in September after pleading guilty to the lesser offence of assault causing bodily harm and possessing a loaded restricted firearm. He also pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon after stealing meat and discharging a can of bear spray in the store while on bail.

Crown Prosector Nick Lerfold was seeking a 3.5 to four-year sentence for the shooting, plus an additional six months for the bear spray incident. McMurray asked for a day under a two-year sentence in addition to the 150 days he’s spent in jail.

Maskell was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail for possessing a loaded handgun and received a concurrent three-year sentence for assault causing bodily harm. He was also sentenced to six months to be served consecutively for assault with a weapon.

"The resulting four-year sentence was reduced to 1,181 days new time after receiving credit for time spent on remand awaiting trial," said communications counsel Dan McLaughlin.