By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Trial dates set for Lethbridge man charged with attempted murder in west side shooting

Feb 15, 2019 | 12:20 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Four days have been set aside for a trial involving a Lethbridge man charged with four counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm, assault with a weapon and several other offences.

Lawyer Scott Hadford appeared Friday, February 15 as an agent and spoke for 32-year-old Robert John Sheppard, who appeared via CCTV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre.

Sheppard’s lawyer, Andre Ouellette was not able to make it from Calgary to set the dates.

Sheppard’s trial will run May 23 and 24, then adjourn until June 10 and 11, 2019. He has elected trial by Provincial Court judge alone. 

These most recent charges are connected to an incident along Heritage Blvd. West on April 15. Around 9 p.m., members of the Lethbridge Police Service tactical team and frontline officers responded to reports of shots being fired at a home. Four people managed to escape safely, and police cordoned off the area and searched the home. They then shifted their attention to the suspect’s residence in Dalhousie Court West, and he was finally located and arrested by the RCMP near Granum, following a pursuit.

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During a media availability with LPS, Staff Sgt. Ryan Stef said the matter appeared to be a domestic-violence related incident, adding that the victims knew the suspect.

In addition to the attempted murder charges, Sheppard is also charged with discharging a firearm into a place, resisting arrest, careless use of a firearm, careless storage of a firearm, pointing a firearm, assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession in a vehicle, possession of a weapon obtained by the commission of an offence, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Other Charges Before the Court

Some previous charges relate to an alleged incident at or near Coalhurst on April 29, 2016.

Sheppard is facing charges of sexual assault, assault and mischief in connection with that matter.

He will be back in court on March 14 to have those charges addressed with his lawyer.