Image Credit: Global BC

By Michael Reeve / Q-101 Merritt / James Peters

Merritt Shootout

Fort St. John man charged with five counts of attempted murder in Merritt shootout

Jun 8, 2021 | 3:51 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — A Fort St. John man has now been charged in relation to a police-involved shooting that occurred in Merritt earlier this week.

On June 7, the BC Prosecution Service approved charges against 46-year-old Gerald Cooper of Fort St. John. Cooper has been charged with five counts of attempted murder with a firearm and one count of flight from police. He is expected to appear next in a Kamloops Provincial court on June 9, 2021.

“Given police actions are subject to independent investigation by the Independent Investigations Office of BC and this matter is now before the court, no further information will be released by police,” states S/Sgt. Janelle Shoihet of the BC RCMP.

In a news release, Shoihet notes members tried to pull a vehicle over Sunday after it “allegedly failed to stop for police earlier the same day and had been involved in a theft in Lytton the previous day.”

The truck did not stop for Mounties and shots were exchanged, with the incident eventually ending on Highway 8 near Lower Nicola.

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Anyone who may have been a witness to this incident, or has dash cam or other video and has not already spoken with police, we ask that you contact the Merritt RCMP at cite file 2021-2399.