A Spences Bridge man who went on a shooting spree in the small town in 2013 — including shooting a man in the face through the wall of a home — won’t be held criminally responsible.
Eric Nelson was charged with a dozen counts — including attempted murder with a firearm — after the series of incidents in May 2013.
Court heard the bizarre crime spree began on May 15, 2013, when Nelson, 53, went to a Spences Bridge home armed with a shotgun and began shooting out the windows of a BMW SUV parked in the driveway.
He then opened fire on the house, including one shot through a bedroom window that struck a man inside in the face and another shotgun blast through the front door.
The next day, court heard, Nelson met with his son in nearby Lytton and boasted about having shot a pedophile in the face.
On May 17, 2013, Nelson’s vehicle nearly collided with another vehicle on a rural highway. Both vehicles stopped, Nelson got out, picked up a boulder and threw it at the other vehicle, which had two people inside.
Nelson asked the driver to follow him home, which he did. Once there, Nelson demanded the driver’s shotgun, potatoes and money.
He then asked to be driven to a friend’s house, where he told his friend he was in a manic state.
Nelson was arrested the following day. In custody, he began rambling to police about politics and a conspiracy involving the NDP. He was released after meeting with a doctor.
He was arrested again six days later after stealing a truck and driving it into the bush.
Defence lawyer Micah Rankin described Nelson as “a back-to-the-earth hippie type” who wasn’t diagnosed as being bi-polar until after the incident.
“Mr. Nelson was in the throes of a severe manic episode,” he said.
“He was under a variety of grandiose and, at times, paranoid delusions.”
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Joel Groves said he was satisfied Nelson was not criminally responsible by way of a mental disorder (NCRMD).
Four of the charges Nelson was facing — assault, assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and possession of stolen property — were stayed before he was found NCRMD.
Nelson’s file will now be handed over to the B.C. Review Board, which will monitor his mental state on a regular basis.
Nelson is not in custody.
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