The parents of a Kamloops man facing four charges of attempted murder after allegedly opening fire on police Friday say the incident could have concluded much quicker than it did.
Shane Caron was taken into custody early Saturday morning at the conclusion of a 17-hour standoff with police. He is facing 12 charges stemming from the incident, before which he is alleged to have fired at Mounties on four separate occasions.
The 35-year-old鈥檚 parents, Bill McGinn and Kathy Caron, live in the G&M Trailer Park with their son. They argue the incident did not have to turn into the protracted ordeal it became.
鈥淚 could have talked him out of that f鈥攊ng house in five minutes and I told the cops that,鈥� McGinn told KTW. 鈥淭hey said, 鈥楴ope. We can鈥檛 put you in harm鈥檚 way.鈥欌��
McGinn said he does not deny the allegations his son is facing. He said his son was distraught during the standoff. The two spoke on the phone on multiple occasions during the standoff before police cut the line in the mid-afternoon, McGinn said.
鈥淲e were in contact while this standoff was going on and then they just cut him off,鈥� McGinn said.
鈥淗e was crying. He was f鈥攊ng scared. I told the cops, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 my kid and we have a serious situation. We could end it right now.鈥� He was so f鈥攊ng scared, he was bawling steady.鈥�
McGinn also took issue with police stating his son fired his rifle inside the home.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what they used for the search warrant to get in the house, that he was shooting in the house,鈥� he said.
Kathy Caron said the whole incident could have been avoided. She said her son was committed under the Mental Health Act in July and police seized his guns.
鈥淭hey must have missed one,鈥� she said, referring to the weapon allegedly used on Friday. 鈥淭hey were supposed to come in and take all his guns.鈥�
Caron believes it鈥檚 a failure of the systems in place to keep people and the community safe when dealing with mental illness.
鈥淭hey should have done something,鈥� she said, describing her son as 鈥減aranoid鈥� in recent months while dealing with domestic issues with his ex-girlfriend.
Caron also admitted her son was a frequent user of cocaine and said he feared a group of people he claimed was trying to kill him.
鈥淸They have] been threatening to cut him into pieces,鈥� she said. 鈥淚s that normal? Of course he鈥檚 going crazy. He needs help. He鈥檚 hopefully going to get it now because he鈥檚 had psychiatric issues for some time.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 not one bullet hole. I asked the officer where the bullet hole was. He said he couldn鈥檛 find one.鈥�
Caron said she hopes her son is given the opportunity to get his life back on track.
鈥淏efore the last year or so, he was fine,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was proud of him. I really believe it was the drugs that did it.鈥�
Caron was already facing a number of domestic assault-related charges, which are also before the courts, stemming from an incident earlier this month.
During his appearance in Kamloops provincial court on Monday, Caron was placed on a no-contact order with a number of people including his ex-girlfriend and his father.
He is expected to return to court on Nov. 6.
