Post by IAMCAPER on Dec 20, 2006 12:06:53 GMT -4
It was sad payback for a teenager donating his time to charity.
As Shane MacPherson was guarding a Salvation Army kettle Monday evening in New Waterford, he was shot in the face with a pellet gun.
“I was real scared,” said MacPherson, 16. “I was shot four times, in my face, ear and head.”
MacPherson and his brother Joshua, 12, members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in New Waterford, were manning the kettle at Pharmasave when, at about 8:15 p.m., a young man asked to use his cellphone.
MacPherson refused and the man returned moments later telling him someone wanted to speak to him outside.
“I went outside, they were trying to get my cellphone from me,” said MacPherson, who returned to the store.
But, he said, the person came back in the building moments later carrying a silver gun yelling “I am going to . . . kill you.”
He held the gun only two to three inches from MacPherson’s head.
“He started shooting me. I was scared, I tried to cover my face.”
Const. Gary Fraser of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service said the MacPherson thought the gun was real, but it was later determined from the shots and marks to be a pellet gun.
“The 16-year-old victim was shaken up,” said Fraser. “Pellets can kill an animal. This is a very serious incident.”
Police said there were several witnesses to the attempted robbery.
The suspect is described as a 19-year-old, male who is tall and skinny. He was wearing dark clothing and a black hat backwards. He was seen getting into an older, red van, possibly a Dodge Caravan, with about seven people inside.
MacPherson’s mother Tina is very angry.
“It’s scandalous. What if it was a more powerful gun? This left marks on his skin, his head, his face, by his ear.
“(He) will not be volunteering here again unless a supervisor is with them.”
Pius Campbell, MacPherson’s father, said the ordeal is upsetting.
“I was shocked. He could have ended up deaf or injured far more seriously.”
Capt. Bradley Reid of the Salvation Army in New Waterford said they have 42 volunteers manning kettles in three locations in the community and at the Mayflower Mall. This is the first time they ever had a serious incident.
“You can’t even imagine what it must have done to this volunteer, it must have been scary.”
Police continue to investigate the incident.
As Shane MacPherson was guarding a Salvation Army kettle Monday evening in New Waterford, he was shot in the face with a pellet gun.
“I was real scared,” said MacPherson, 16. “I was shot four times, in my face, ear and head.”
MacPherson and his brother Joshua, 12, members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in New Waterford, were manning the kettle at Pharmasave when, at about 8:15 p.m., a young man asked to use his cellphone.
MacPherson refused and the man returned moments later telling him someone wanted to speak to him outside.
“I went outside, they were trying to get my cellphone from me,” said MacPherson, who returned to the store.
But, he said, the person came back in the building moments later carrying a silver gun yelling “I am going to . . . kill you.”
He held the gun only two to three inches from MacPherson’s head.
“He started shooting me. I was scared, I tried to cover my face.”
Const. Gary Fraser of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service said the MacPherson thought the gun was real, but it was later determined from the shots and marks to be a pellet gun.
“The 16-year-old victim was shaken up,” said Fraser. “Pellets can kill an animal. This is a very serious incident.”
Police said there were several witnesses to the attempted robbery.
The suspect is described as a 19-year-old, male who is tall and skinny. He was wearing dark clothing and a black hat backwards. He was seen getting into an older, red van, possibly a Dodge Caravan, with about seven people inside.
MacPherson’s mother Tina is very angry.
“It’s scandalous. What if it was a more powerful gun? This left marks on his skin, his head, his face, by his ear.
“(He) will not be volunteering here again unless a supervisor is with them.”
Pius Campbell, MacPherson’s father, said the ordeal is upsetting.
“I was shocked. He could have ended up deaf or injured far more seriously.”
Capt. Bradley Reid of the Salvation Army in New Waterford said they have 42 volunteers manning kettles in three locations in the community and at the Mayflower Mall. This is the first time they ever had a serious incident.
“You can’t even imagine what it must have done to this volunteer, it must have been scary.”
Police continue to investigate the incident.
