Shotgun fired in case that led to P.E.I. Amber Alert, say RCMP

An eastern P.E.I. man faces eight charges, including attempted murder,  in a case connected to the issuing of an Amber Alert early Tuesday morning.

RCMP triggered the Amber Alert at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, saying a man had reportedly abducted a girl.

The girl was found safe in Souris a few hours later and the man was taken into custody without incident, RCMP said.

Police have said they were alerted to an altercation at a house in eastern P.E.I. at about 1:30 a.m. that day. No one was at the home when they arrived. An investigation led them to believe that a woman and child had been abducted, and that a shotgun had been fired during the incident.

Officers later discovered that the woman had not been abducted and was safe; she was located shortly before the man was arrested.

"Charges include an attempted murder charge, being the most serious, that is with relation to an adult female, not in regards to the child," said RCMP Const. Gavin Moore.

"This isn't something that we encounter very frequently and certainly it speaks to the seriousness of the events that took place."

The other charges being laid are

• Pointing a firearm.
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
• Possession of a firearm without a licence.
• Possession of prohibited weapon.
• Uttering threats to cause bodily harm or death.
• Theft of a motor vehicle.
• Breach of court orders.

CBC News is not naming the accused to protect the identity of the child.

The man remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Georgetown provincial court Thursday morning.

There were no injuries in the incident, police said Tuesday.