The accused was charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, and breaching a recognizance prohibiting possession of weapons.
The Crown’s case centered on recognition identification evidence from the victim, who had known the accused from prior encounters and observed him on a bus moments before being shot at close range.
The court carefully reviewed the inherent frailties of eyewitness identification but found the recognition evidence reliable when considered alongside corroborating testimony from a bus passenger and other circumstantial evidence.
The victim’s identification was supported by the sequence of events linking the accused from the bus to the shooting and by evidence placing him near the scene.
The court concluded the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused was the shooter and that firing a handgun at the victim’s head at point‑blank range established the intent required for attempted murder.
