Crown seeks up to eight years for man who fired shots into homes

It was an “absolute miracle” no one was killed or injured when a Calgary man fired at least 20 shots from a semi-automatic rifle into four Taradale homes, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Crown lawyer Adam May argued provincial court Judge Terry Semenuk should hand Terrell Chol a sentence of between seven and eight years on multiple charges, including discharging a firearm into a home.

But defence lawyer Jillian Williamson countered that a prison term in the five- to seven-year range would be adequate punishment for Chol, who was convicted in June of multiple charges relating to the June 5, 2020, shooting spree into homes in the northeast community.

Chol was convicted by Semenuk of eight charges following a trial. He also pleaded guilty to three additional charges on Wednesday, including having a rifle while prohibited.

The provincial court judge found that evidence from a doorbell camera was crucial in identifying Chol as the gunman.

Footage shown at Chol's trial showed a silver sedan stop in front of a Tarington Way N.E. residence before the driver got out and fired multiple rounds.

In one home, where two adults and three children resided, bullet holes were found in the living room television, a stairway wall, a bedroom and the adjoining ensuite, where one of the children was in the bathtub.

“(A resident) was in the living room of the residence and dove onto the floor when she heard the gunshots and saw them hit her television,” Semenuk said in a written decision.

Semenuk will hand down his sentencing decision Jan. 10.