blindndead
NES Member
GATINEAU, Que. -- For the first time in its history, a weapon was fired inside a courtroom at the Gatineau courthouse yesterday.
But the man who inadvertently pulled the trigger was the Quebec court judge presiding over the case.
Judge Real Lapointe was hearing evidence in a home invasion trial yesterday morning when he asked to see the weapon - an air pistol - to see if the grip was still intact or had been damaged when the victim was allegedly pistol whipped.
The judge later told a reporter that while handling the weapon, the pistol appeared to become "unjammed."
An officer with the Gatineau police had testified earlier during the bail hearing that he'd had problems discharging the weapon.
It seems the judge succeeded where the officer failed.
Lapointe said he pointed the weapon towards the ceiling as he felt a pressure build up in the weapon.
To everyone's surprise, first and foremost the judge, the gun went off, with the ammunition landing on the ground near the judge.
The incident caught the entire courtroom off guard and after the initial shock wore off, Lapointe put the weapon and the ammo back into a plastic evidence bag.
But the man who inadvertently pulled the trigger was the Quebec court judge presiding over the case.
Judge Real Lapointe was hearing evidence in a home invasion trial yesterday morning when he asked to see the weapon - an air pistol - to see if the grip was still intact or had been damaged when the victim was allegedly pistol whipped.
The judge later told a reporter that while handling the weapon, the pistol appeared to become "unjammed."
An officer with the Gatineau police had testified earlier during the bail hearing that he'd had problems discharging the weapon.
It seems the judge succeeded where the officer failed.
Lapointe said he pointed the weapon towards the ceiling as he felt a pressure build up in the weapon.
To everyone's surprise, first and foremost the judge, the gun went off, with the ammunition landing on the ground near the judge.
The incident caught the entire courtroom off guard and after the initial shock wore off, Lapointe put the weapon and the ammo back into a plastic evidence bag.