By Canadian Press

Suspect, child injured

Fort St. John resident charged with five counts of attempted murder in Merritt shooting

Jun 8, 2021 | 6:26 PM

MERRITT, BC – The RCMP say a Fort St. John man has been charged after a shooting involving police that injured the suspect and a child in B.C.’s southern Interior.

Police say in a statement 46-year-old Gerald Cooper has been charged with five counts of attempted murder with a firearm and one count of flight from police.

Officers in Merritt tried to stop a truck on Sunday that police said had earlier failed to stop for officers and was allegedly involved in a theft in Lytton the day before.

An earlier RCMP statement says gunshots were exchanged between police and the occupant of the truck, who had a child under the age of 12 with him.

The Mounties say the man and the child were taken to hospital for treatment and Cooper is expected to appear in provincial court in Kamloops on Wednesday.

They say no one else was hurt and no other details would be released while B.C.’s police watchdog conducts an independent investigation into the incident.

(The Canadian Press)