Arrest in shooting at Falls grow op
Victim remains in serious condition; 58-year-old Niagara man arrested
A Niagara Falls man has been charged after a shooting earlier this week at a licensed medicinal cannabis grow operation.
The 58-year-old suspect faces numerous charges in connection with the incident — described by police as a targeted shooting — in rural Niagara Falls, near Willoughby Drive and Somerville Road.
Mid-afternoon Monday, a man phoned 911 saying he had been shot. Paramedics took him to an out-of-town trauma centre where the man was listed in serious but stable condition Friday, after undergoing surgery Tuesday.
Over several days, police searched the scene before making the arrest Thursday.
Investigators say their search revealed the number of marijuana plants, the manner in which they were being grown and the way they were tended did not comply with the property’s licence.
Police seized the pot plants, but didn’t reveal the name of the operators or the operation and did not say whether they were being charged over the licence violation.
The suspect in the shooting was identified as Frederick Roy Collette, 58, of Niagara Falls.
He is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, discharging a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, administering a noxious thing, two counts of possession contrary to an order (a firearm and bear spray), knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, and unlawful production of marijuana.
Collette was to appear Friday for a bail hearing in St. Catharines court.