An innocent man was nearly the victim of a daylight gunfight in Prince George Tuesday morning as a stray bullet pierced through a rear window of a passing pickup, missing the driver by only inches.
"I just got in the way. If I'd been driving just a little slower I would have been hit," said Ernie Ryser, who was alone in his red and grey truck as he turned off of Victoria Street onto Diefenbaker Drive at about 11 a.m. Tuesday.
It was one of the sunniest mornings of the summer, and he was only a block from home. Three children scampered around one yard four doors to the south, a group of people were playing with a baby four doors to the east, several people all around the neighbourhood were out on decks or catching some sunshine on the lawn.
The residential scene made no difference to the shooters. Several neighbours said this was a confrontation between drug-affiliated groups, one inside a duplex and the other in a car out front. One neighbour only saw a glimpse of the preamble but it was enough to tell him things were about to go bad.
"You could see [by their body language] that something was going down, and sure as [excrement] you could see them grabbing for guns," he said.
"There were shots, and the next thing I knew the guys in the car were gone and this older gentleman was still there."
Ryser was stunned. He said he didn't hear any shots and wasn't aware of anything going on nearby until his window shattered behind him. He hit the brakes in surprise.
"By the time I heard the window cracking out, I looked back and they were already leaving," in a small car, creamy white in colour, and apparently occupied by at least two people.
The location was the intersection of Diefenbaker's 1400 block and Quince Street's 2600 block. Ryser said he has lived in the area for about 15 years and although he has noticed signs of the criminal element.
"It is a quiet neighbourhood, no trouble, as long as you keep to yourself."
Several neighbours said the residence was believed to be connected to organized crime. Multiple security cameras were visible at doors and windows and heavy curtains were drawn across the front glass, with occasional signs of someone peeking through at the blue and red lights outside.
It took only moments before the scene was swarmed by police gathering statements from witnesses, photographing bullet holes, searching for shell casings, etc.
It was not known how many shots were fired.
The shooting happened a block away and a year from the murder of Darren Munch, who was killed in the middle of Oak Street on a sunny summer day amongst homes and families on Aug. 14, 2010. That too was linked to a dispute among members of the organized crime underworld.
