No weapons convictions for man charged with shooting during North Okanagan break-in

A man charged in a violent break and enter in Lavington in February has been convicted for the break-in but had all weapons charges stayed by the Crown.

Clayton Alan Williams was sentenced yesterday, Dec. 9, at the Vernon courthouse for break and enter, disguising his face with intent to commit an offence and a breach of an earlier probation order. Williams, born 1991, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in jail and received a lifetime ban on owning firearms.

However, two charges of discharging a firearm with intent to wound, as well as unlawfully discharging a firearm, pointing a firearm and using a firearm to commit an offence were all stayed by the Crown.

Williams was charged February 22, after a violent break and enter in Lavington Feb. 8. Following the incident, the RCMP said shots were fired during the break-in and the occupant of the home sustained non-life threatening injuries. Police said they believed the incident was targeted.

Shortly afterwards, another incident took place and police were called to the Village Green Hotel where a 29-year-old man was shot and died from his injuries. At the time, the RCMP said they believed the two incidents were related.

RCMP have not released the name of the 29-year-old man who died outside the Village Green Hotel. How the two incidents are related is still unclear. Williams was never charged in that incident.

Williams was scheduled for a preliminary inquiry at the Vernon courthouse, Dec. 10, but instead chose to plead guilty to the three charges and was sentenced.

Williams has a lengthy criminal record and has previously been charged for weapons offences, assault, theft and drug trafficking in various places in B.C.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.