Parents of shooting suspect feared son would be killed in standoff

Oct 30, 2017 | 5:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — A 35-year-old Kamloops man was arrested over the weekend after a lengthy standoff at the G & M Trailer Park beside Highway 5. 

Shane Caron is facing a long list of charges related to the incident, which halted traffic and shut off all access to the trailer park. 

Caron’s parents invited CFJC Today inside their home Monday, the same trailer their son had been inside during the 17-hour standoff that began Friday. 

Kathy Caron says mental illness and drug use were the reasons why her son entered into the standoff, stating he hasn’t been of sound mind. 

“He was a good kid, there was nothing bad that I could say about him before, and I’m really sorry for any harm that he did to anyone, and I know if he was in a normal state of mind, he wouldn’t have done the things he did.” 

According to police, Shane Caron was the suspect in an assault complaint that came in around 6 a.m. Friday morning. 

“When police tried to make contact with him, he responded by threatening to shoot police with a firearm,” explained Supt. Brad Mueller at a media briefing Saturday. 

Caron allegedly led police on a pursuit to the Mount Paul Industrial Park, where gunfire was exchanged. 

The chase eventually led to the G & M Trailer Park. 

Troy Lewis witnessed the dramatic events unfolding in the neighbourhood. 

“I saw the SWAT vehicle coming down the road on the other side of him, and then I hear ‘pop, pop, pop, pop’ and crash as the truck barrelled right into the side of his pickup,” Lewis said. 

The suspect then ran to a trailer, where Caron had been staying with his parents who weren’t home at the time. 

“Hit the Yellowhead bridge, (and) they wouldn’t let me go no further,” said Caron’s father Bill McGinn. “I told them my kid will come out, let me in there, I’ll bring him out in five minutes, safe.” 

However, Caron’s parents weren’t allowed in, and telephone communication was soon shut off. 

“I was afraid that they would kill him, because I hear of so many other people who get shot by the police, and I just thought that that’s what was going to happen, that they were going to shoot him, and I could see it because he had a gun,” Kathy Caron said. 

The incident came to a peaceful end around 4 a.m. Saturday morning with the arrest of Caron, who now faces a slew of charges including four counts of attempted murder. 

Caron appeared briefly before a judge Monday afternoon. His next court appearance on this matter is scheduled for Nov. 6.