Nanaimo man charged in connection with homeless camp shooting

CHEK

A Nanaimo man with no fixed address is in police custody after being charged in connection to a shooting that happened earlier this month.

RCMP confirms to CHEK News that 37-year-old Craig Truckle has been charged with pointing a firearm and remains in custody until his first court appearance Tuesday.

The brazen daytime shooting happened on Sunday, March 12. That’s when Nanaimo business owner Clint Smith was shot in the stomach and suffered serious injuries.

A friend of Smith, Jeff Callaghan, told CHEK News the day after the shooting that he was also there when shots rang out at a homeless camp in a ravine along Terminal Avenue.

They had gone there with four others to retrieve property that was allegedly stolen from Smith’s nearby auto shop.

“We kind of just wanted to show that the neighbourhood was standing up and saying no more of the bulls**t, right? And it went a little further than it should have because we were not expecting them to have guns,” Callaghan told CHEK News after the shooting.

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Smith was released from hospital Saturday after putting a message on social media.

“It is indeed dire. I was in a long medical-induced coma while the professionals at NRGH worked furiously to save my life. The staff that have taken on the task of keeping me alive are literally nothing short of miracle workers,” Smith said in the social media post.

“I feel that I am alive and can post this wholly due to their teamwork, understanding, and compassion. But even miracle workers cannot do it all. The projectiles remain inside me, as their location is too dangerous to open me up further for removal attempts. I do not condone reaction, violence, retribution, vengeance, or any other such foolish sentiments.”

Dean StoltzDean Stoltz

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