A South Surrey senior who was charged four years ago in connection with a report of a shooting in the 1300-block of 176 Street has had his case returned to provincial court, with sentencing proceedings set for Nov. 24.
Kenneth Turpin was charged after police responded to an incident at around 7:15 p.m. on June 3, 2017. Officers found one man with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police shut down 176 Street between 8 and 16 Avenues, warned the public to stay away and brought in a negotiator, ultimately making an arrest shortly before midnight. Two days later, police described the incident as “a dispute that occurred between two guys who were known to each other.”
Turpin, who was 70 at the time of his arrest, was ordered to stand trial on three charges – unlawfully discharge a firearm, aggravated assault and possession of a loaded or unloaded prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition – following a preliminary inquiry held in January. The proceedings are used to determine if there is enough evidence in a case to warrant a trial.
READ MORE: Senior charged in 2017 ‘targeted’ South Surrey shooting ordered to stand trial
From there, his case moved to B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, where trial dates of Oct. 25 to Nov. 17, 2021 were set.
This week, court officials said Turpin re-elected in June to go before a provincial court judge, and the application was filed in the Surrey courthouse in early September.
Surrey court records indicate that Turpin pleaded guilty on Sept. 7 to careless use or storage of a firearm. Two other charges, including one of aggravated assault, have not yet been dealt with.
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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