The sentencing hearing for Lunden Taylor Howard, the man convicted of ramming his SUV into a parked police vehicle in Duncan in 2023, will continue at the Duncan courthouse on May 6.
On April 7, the court heard impact statements from Sgt. Kiel Pharis, the RCMP officer who was injured in the incident on May 12, 2023, in the parking lot of the headquarters of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment, and a number of others.
Howard, 36, was shot by a second RCMP officer after putting his hand in a bag in the back seat of his vehicle after smashing into the rear of the police cruiser, and then pointing it at the officer.
He was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Howard, who has been found guilty of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, has also been found guilty of choking his fianc茅 in Esquimalt before the incident in the RCMP parking lot and faces up to 14 years in prison.
The RCMP reported at the time that at approximately 6:30 a.m. on May 12, 2023, Pharis was in the detachment parking lot preparing his vehicle for patrol duties, when a civilian vehicle entered the lot and struck the police vehicle injuring the officer.
The RCMP said that, shortly afterwards, a second officer fired a service pistol, hitting the suspect.
Brian Sauv茅, president and CEO of the National Police Federation, said at the time that, as always, the RCMP officers involved in the incident 鈥渞esponded professionally and bravely protecting each other and the public, arresting the individual鈥�.
鈥淭his cannot continue,鈥� Sauv茅 said. 鈥淥ur members deserve and need stronger protections, and failing to provide them only undermines Canada鈥檚 public safety system."
