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Lethbridge man charges for shooting paintballs at drug consumption site

Aug 27, 2019 | 8:07 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Police have arrested and charged a man with assault and weapons offences following an incident over the weekend outside the Supervised Consumption Site.

Shortly after midnight on Aug. 24, a female staff member and two male SCS clients were outside of the 1 Avenue South building when a white Dodge truck drove past and fired multiple paintballs at them.

The two men avoided being hit by the paintballs, but the staff member was struck multiple times in the leg, arm, torso and face, according to Lethbridge Police Service.

Following the initial assault, the truck returned to the scene and more paintballs were fired at clients walking along 1 Avenue South. This caused them to hit the ground and seek cover behind vehicles.

Once news of the incident was made public, LPS says they received a multitude of tips that helped identify a suspect. On Sunday, Aug. 25, members of the Downtown Policing Unit arrested Jesse John James Bulman in a home. He was arrested without incident and police say they seized the paintball gun used in the weekend assaults.

The 29-year-old Lethbridge man is charged with three counts of assault with a weapon and one count each of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and mischief to property.

Mayor Chris Spearman and the City of Lethbridge issued a special statement on the incident, referencing recent protests and controversy at City Hall.

“Recently, the issue of harm reduction has caused debate and been divisive in our community,” the statement reads. “Peaceful protest and freedom of speech are cornerstones of our society.

“We as City Council respect democracy, but condemn violent acts against anyone at ARCHES.

“These people are residents in our community who are simply doing their jobs. There is no place for violence in our community.”

More on the fallout from this incident at LethbridgeNewsNow.com.