Armed robber handed jail term

A Kelowna man who shot himself in the face while robbing another man has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years in jail.

Walter Spence, 49, was charged with robbery using a prohibited firearm, pointing a firearm, possessing a prohibited firearm with ammunition, and two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to an order. He pleaded guilty to robbery using a prohibited firearm and possession of a firearm contrary to an order.

On Feb. 17, 2016, two females and two males, including Spence, drove to an apartment complex at 1475 Glenmore Rd. N. at 9:30 a.m., said Justice Emily Burke.

One of the females knocked on the door of one of the units.

The man inside was sleeping. When the knocking continued, he got up and saw a 40-year-old woman at the door, said Burke.

“As he opened the door for the woman, two men, Mr. Spence and a young man, burst through the door,” she said. “Mr. Spence had a gun and the youth had a knife.”

Spence and the youth asked the man where the money was, while Spence pointed a gun at the man’s face, said Burke.

The man tried to push Spence and the youth back. During the struggle, the gun went off.

“Mr. Spence said ‘we need to go. I shot myself in the face,’” said Burke.

Spence lost his right eye and still has a bullet lodged in his brain.

One of the women drove Spence to the hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound.

She consented to a police search of the vehicle, where officers found a bloody backpack, a rifle and a knife.

Spence was arrested at the hospital and has been in custody since.

Officers also seized four bullets from Spence’s jeans.

Spence’s DNA was found on the trigger of the firearm and in the blood found on the entryway of the apartment.

Cocaine, along with other drugs and drug paraphernalia, was found inside the apartment.

Crown and defence put forward a joint submission of the mandatory minimum five-year sentence for the robbery and a six-month sentence for possession of the firearm.

Spence had been given two lifetime firearm prohibition orders in the past.

Burke accepted the joint submission, sentencing Spence to 5 1/2 years in prison.

With credit for time served, he has just over three years left to serve in custody.