Armed suspect was shot as he advanced on cop: sources
Ian Bursey won’t be cutting through his neighbour’s backyard anytime soon.
The last time he did — July 3, 2016 — he was arrested and charged with attempted murder after firing a handgun into the air. On Monday he was sent to jail for two years after pleading guilty to the lesser offence of possession of a loaded prohibited gun.
It was a Sunday night, and after drinking at home, the failed Ottawa city council candidate — he ran against Barrhaven powerhouse Jan Harder in 2014 — left his home to get a pack of smokes at the gas station. He brought money — and a loaded gun.
He cut through a neighbour’s backyard. It’s big and wooded. The neighbour was outside when Bursey, 50, cut through his property around 10 p.m. The neighbour approached Bursey, who pulled a handgun — a Second World War collectible — and fired it into the air.
The neighbour charged Bursey and knocked him down. The neighbour’s wife called 911 while her husband took care of Bursey, who was left with a bloodied face, nose and a black eye. He was treated in hospital and arrested upon release.
Bursey was originally charged with a slew of offences but his defence lawyer Brett McGarry negotiated a deal that saw his client, who had no prior criminal record, plead guilty to the single firearms offence.
“Mr. Bursey took full responsibility for his actions today which were an isolated mistake in an otherwise law-abiding life. The court considered Mr. Bursey’s lack of a criminal record, history of hard work, and his apology, in arriving at the sentence,” McGarry told the Citizen.
Bursey filed an apology letter in court on Monday:
“I understand that the events must have been scary for you and your family, and I am very sorry for that. Please know that you have nothing to fear from me.”
Bursey ran for city council in Barrhaven ward in 2014. He got 2,490 votes, or nearly 22 per cent of the vote.
In 2014, shortly after losing the election, Bursey took to Twitter to complain about “rising ” crime in Barrhaven — including gun crime.