Shooting Incident: Dad Takes All The Blame

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Shooting Incident: Dad Takes All The Blame

Winnipeg Free Press


Winnipeg man who suffered a shotgun blast to the chest during an alleged beerjacking denies his 16-year-old son was responsible for his brush with death.

Curtis, 43- his full name can't be used to protect the identity of the teen- said Thursday he accidentally shot himself during the unusual father-and-son outing in March this year.

His boy admitted in court this week to firing the near-fatal shot and wil be sentenced next month under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. But Curtis said Thursday the teen is wrongly taking the fall for him.

"He didn't do it. I had the gun, slipped on some ice and that's when I felt the blast of hot air near my face," Curtis said in an interview from the Winnipeg Remand Centre.

He is awaiting trial on weapons and robbery charges from the same incident.

"The first words out of my mouth when I woke up in hospital were 'It was an accident'. My son is just trying to protect me. We're very close," said Curtis.

He admits he and his son were walking through the inner-city with a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun, but denies they were trying to rob anyone.

Curtis admits he had several beers the night of the shooting which impaired his judgement, but said he is a good father to his son.

"I was trying to protect my son and admit I took care of things in a very irresponsible way," said Curtis. "But despite this incident I see myself as a role model for my son."

Curtis and his son planned to take the shotgun back to its owner or sell it to someone on the street the night he was shot.

"I told my son he could keep the money," he said. "Then we saw three people up ahead, and I started joking with my son, asking him 'Do you wanna jack them up?' We were both laughing, because I was just trying to speak his lingo."

Curtis said he jokingly muttered "Gimme your beer" to the three people walking ahead, but never intended to rob them.

Police and the Crown claim two of the pedestrians fled, while the third got into a fight with Curtis and his son, believing he was being robbed at gunpoint.

The dispute ended with the teen firing a shotgun blast which hit his father, according to justice officials. Several area residents claim they heard yelling and swearing outside their windows before the gunshot.

Curtis denies there was a confrontation and said he just wiped out on the ice and shot himself. He admits his son then ran to a nearby yard and threw the gun away, which was witnessed by a neighbour.

Police arrested his son at the shooting scene and charged him with numerous offences.

The teen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to careless use of a firearm and robbery with a firearm.

-Leader Post, A5, Friday August 13, 2004