Vikki Hopes
Mission Record
A Mission man pleaded guilty on Monday to an incident in which his wife was shot in June 2014.
Bruce Croft, 71, was slated to start the first day of his trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Chilliwack when he entered the plea on a charge of intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless to the life or safety of another person.
His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 22. The offence carries a sentence of four to 14 years in prison.
Six other charges against Croft that are expected to be stayed at sentencing include attempted murder with a firearm, causing bodily harm by criminal negligence, careless use or storage of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and two counts related to the unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Mission RCMP were called to a home on Swan Avenue on June 14, 2014 after they received reports of shots fired and a woman yelling for help.
Police found the 69-year-old victim – Croft’s wife – being tended to by neighbours in the driveway. She had sustained a wound to her lower posterior, from which she later recovered.
Police surrounded the home, and Croft eventually exited the residence with a shotgun pointed at the ground.
He dropped the weapon when he stumbled and fell, and police arrested him. He was charged the following day.
Croft was again charged in December 2014 with two counts of breaching his bail conditions. Those charges are still before the courts.