A man connected to the 712 gang in the Cariboo Chilcotin received a three-year sentence for a drive-by shooting in downtown Williams Lake in July 2022 that occurred less than a month after another gang-involved shooting at the Williams Lake Stampede.
According to an RCMP media release, Trevor Lyndon Alexis, 31, pleaded guilty on Jan, 10 in Prince George Law Courts to discharging a firearm with intent and possession of a firearm. The charges were in connection to the drive-by shooting on July 28, 2022 in Williams Lake, said RCMP Cpl. Phil Charron, NCO in charge of GIS.
The sentencing stems from the incident where police were alerted that a person in a newer Dodge Ram pickup truck had shot at a Dodge Challenger car in downtown Williams Lake. The driver of the car was able to speed away.
Charron said RCMP identified Alexis as a suspect thanks to assistance from the public. Police obtained a search warrant for a residence and a vehicle associated to Alexis, and located two firearms and ammunition consistent with the damage to the Dodge Challenger, noted Charron.
“Additional search warrants were later executed confirming that Alexis was the shooter and that he was involved with the 712 gang in the Cariboo region,” noted Charron.
Alexis also pleaded guilty to other offences Jan. 10 stemming from incidents in Prince George when Alexis was awaiting court proceedings on the Williams Lake charges. Those charges also include firearms offences as well as break and enter, theft under $5,000 and several breaches of release orders.
The downtown drive-by shooting came of the heels of a very public, gang-related shooting at the Williams Lake Stampede just weeks earlier.
The shooter in the 2022 Williams Lake Stampede incident, Jordell Sellars, was recently sentenced to nine years in jail after two people were shot. Mounties say Sellars was a former member of the Indian Outlawz, a gang rival of the 712 gang.
The shooting forced the evacuation of thousands who were watching the rodeo in the stands at the time, caused financial losses for the vendors, and traumatized many.
The Stampede has since stepped up security at all their events.
Innocent bystander Rosalie Montgomery, who was shot in the foot, has since recovered, and has attended the rodeo since the shooting.
In the Alexis case, Williams Lake RCMP wanted to thank the Williams Lake community for their assistance, Charron added.
“If you are a member of a gang and want help leaving the lifestyle, check out the endganglife.ca website or contact your local police detachment.”
- With files from Monica Lamb-Yorski
