Man charged in shooting staying behind bars for now
A Conception Harbour man suspected of shooting a man in the leg in Avondale last week seemed to be in good spirits as he made his way to and from court Tuesday.
Jesse Lewis was all smiles as he was led, wearing handcuffs, from the holding cells past reporters to Courtroom No. 7 in provincial court in St. John’s.
On the way back he yelled, “F-- the Masons!”
Lawyers agreed to postpone the case until Friday for time to review the case. Lewis was taken back to jail until then.
The 19-year-old is charged with aggravated assault, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, careless use of a firearm, pointing a firearm, driving while disqualified and four counts of breaching court orders.
He was arrested Friday night as a result of an incident just before 6 p.m., when Holyrood RCMP officers received a call of a shooting in Avondale.
A 32-year-old man was found at the scene with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.
Lewis was said to have fled the scene in a vehicle with three other people before police got there.
RCMP officers tried to stop the vehicle several times. They had no luck initially, as the vehicle sped away on the Transcanada Highway.
Around 10 p.m., officers deployed a spike belt, which flattened the vehicle’s tires. Police say the driver tried to keep going, but came to a stop near the Whitbourne turnoff.
The incident happened the day after Lewis had been released from jail on prior charges laid in Harbour Grace court, including two counts of assault and single counts of mischief and uttering threats, along with a traffic ticket.
In connection with the shooting, three other people — a youth, a woman and a man, Paul Joseph Conway of Colliers — were also taken into custody and charged with being Lewis’s accessories.
Conway also appeared in provincial court in St. John’s Tuesday. Besides the accessory charge, he’s also charged with breaching conditions of his probation. He was released and is due back in court next month.
The woman, whose name was not released, and the youth, who won’t be identified due to his young age, were released from custody and will appear in court at later dates.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on this shooting to call Holyrood RCMP at 709-229-3892. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222TIPS (8477), text TIP190 + your message to CRIMES (274637), or submit a web tip at www.nlcrimestoppers.com.