Man shot in leg by RCMP officer sentenced to jail

A P.E.I. man was sentenced on Thursday for an altercation with an RCMP officer that led to the officer shooting the man in the leg.

Cory Russell Levy, 34, pleaded guilty in February toassaulting a peace officer.He was sentencedby Judge Nancy Orr to five months in jailandprobation for two years after his release. He was given credit of 78 daysfor time already served.

Levy was alsosentencedfor impaired driving,several breaches of his undertaking and violating an emergency protection order.

The court heard that a Kings District RCMPofficer was called to Levy's home in Rollo Bay, P.E.I., on Dec. 4, 2017, to investigate an impaired driving complaint against Levy.

Levy then hit the officer with closed fists andcontinued to assault the officer,managingto pull the bullet-resistant vest from the constable.

Despite the tussle, the officer managed tofirethree shots, hitting Levy in the left knee with one of them. Levy was then handcuffed.

The Crown said this was anexperienced officer who feared for his life and after what he went through,elected to retire early from theRCMP.

Levy read a statement to the court accepting full responsibility for his actions, apologizing to the public,his family, andto the officer.

The defence said Levy has problems with alcohol andthat the person he was that night is not reflective of his true self.

Levy saidit's been a long road to recovery and he plans to practice the principleslearnedin Alcoholics Anonymous.

The judge noted Levy had a criminal record before this. Judge Orr said the officer was just doing his job when he went to Levy's home and "it's not part of the job to be physically attacked." She also said it was unfortunate Levy was shot, but he shouldn't havebehaved the way he did.

TheSerious Incident Response Teamfrom Nova Scotia,an independent unit that investigates serious incidents in which police are involved,investigated the incident but has not yet released its findings.

More P.E.I. News