RCMP still searching for man target shooting near bike trail, could face criminal charges

When Andrew Crist tried the "Blown Away" bike trail on Mount McIntyre a few weeks ago, he worried about running into bears. He yelled a bit on the way down to ward any off.

One thing Crist didn't think he had to worry about was nearly being shot by a stranger with a hunting rifle.

But he said a man was target shooting across the trail and a bullet narrowly missed him.

Sgt. Ian Fraser said the Whitehorse RCMP has received information from the public that may help identify the man.

He said it's not necessarily illegal for someone to sight their rifle in back-country, but due to circumstances, there could be criminal charges.

"If somebody is injured because of shooting that occurs in an unsafe manner, such as adjacent to a busy bike trail, it could result in such charges as careless use of a firearm or criminal negligence," Fraser said.

"Whether it's criminal or unsafe is not going to matter much to somebody who's injured by gunfire, or worse."

'Shifting the blame'

Crist said it was about 8:30 p.m. He was riding down the trail with two friends close behind him.

He came around a corner and says he saw a truck in the distance and a man lying on the ground.

"And then I heard a gunshot really loud, and I just jumped off my bike and tried to figure out what was happening," said Crist.

He said he saw there was a target a few feet behind where he was standing, and that the man had a gun in his hands.

Crist said he instantly began yelling at the man and checked that his friends were OK. They spoke to the man, but didn't get his name or licence plate.

"He was definitely a bit freaked out, but he was definitely shifting the blame to us," Crist said.

He said the man argued it was too late to be riding, that he has been shooting there for years, and that it was legal if he was out of city limits — but he admitted he had seen other cyclists.

"I don't think he was safe enough to own a gun, basically," said Crist. "The part that stood out to me is that mountain bikers had rode by half an hour before and he just assumed there weren't going to be more."

Crist filed a report with the RCMP a few days later.

Sgt. Fraser said he hopes they will be able to identify the man within the next few weeks.

He's described as a 60- to 70-year-old man with grey/white hair, weighing 200 to 220 lbs. He was driving an older grey Ford pick-up truck.