SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Two men who tore through city streets in a high speed getaway after spraying bullets outside an apartment building with a stolen handgun received their punishment Friday.

A shooting at Fraser Arms apartments on April 26, 2015 left one man injured and area residents in fear for their lives after a gunman fired 10 rounds with a stolen handgun. Travis Campbell, 28, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison Friday for recklessly using a firearm, among other charges. Brendan Paul, 20, received 30 months in jail for being an accessory. - NNSL file photo

"I'd like to apologize for endangering the public," said Travis Campbell, 28, of Langley, B.C., before Justice Shannon Smallwood sentenced him to five and a half years in a B.C. prison. Campbell pleaded guilty in NWT Supreme Court the previous day to intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless to the life or safety of another person. The charges stem from a 2015 shooting at Fraser Arms apartments that left one man with a bullet wound to the shoulder and neighbouring apartment tenants in fear for their lives.

Campbell was also given six months each for carelessly transporting a firearm and failing to stop in a motor vehicle while being pursued by police - time he will serve concurrently with the first sentence. He previously faced a charge of attempted murder but it was withdrawn.

Brendan Paul, 20, of Yellowknife, was sentenced to 30 months in jail for being an accessory to Campbell's crimes, namely for attempting to toss away the gun Campbell fired. According to a statement of facts read in court, April 26, 2015 was the night Campbell stepped out of a Chevrolet Trailblazer he had parked between the Fraser Arms East and West apartments and began shooting at another truck that had blocked him in.

Just moments before, the truck driver had gotten out of his vehicle and started shouting at Campbell. Paul was also in the Trailblazer at the time.

Campbell reacted to the man's words by firing a full 10-bullet clip from a stolen .40 caliber Glock 22 pistol at the truck. Eight bullets hit the vehicle, while one struck the driver's left shoulder, requiring him to go to hospital for surgery.

While the shooting was underway, residents were taking cover.

One woman in a second floor Fraser Arms East apartment was hiding in her bathroom when a bullet smashed through her living room window, landing only a few feet away from a man who was also in the residence.

A second bullet flew through the window of a third floor apartment and became lodged in a wall near the ceiling. No one was home at the time.

Campbell and Paul sped off from the apartment buildings before police arrived on scene around 9:30 p.m. An hour and a half later, RCMP found the pair at the Shell Gas Station on Range Lake Road and pursued them with their police lights on and sirens wailing.

The two men led police on a high-speed chase through the city that lasted nearly 15 minutes. They sped through school zones, yield signs and drove on the wrong side of the road.

Paul tossed the gun out the vehicle window and onto the lawn of a Range Lake Court residence before RCMP eventually cornered the Trailblazer on Grace Lake Boulevard. Smoke billowed from the vehicle along with the smell of burning rubber.

"Your actions were deplorable," Smallwood told Campbell as she handed down his sentence.

He nodded his head from the prisoner's box as the judge emphasized how lucky it was he did not kill anyone that day.

As for Paul, Smallwood said he had a "second chance" to make a fresh start and learn from his mistakes.

In making her decision, Smallwood recognized both men were first-time offenders and gave them some credit for pleading guilty on Thursday to their crimes. Had they not done so, it could have led to a lengthy trial with an outcome that was "by no means certain," she said.

While submitting a joint sentencing recommendation to the court with defense lawyers Jay Bran and Brian Beresh on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Duane Praught stated more than two dozen witnesses had been called in the case's preliminary hearing, which determines whether there is enough evidence to move to trial.

Despite this, "we did not have an overwhelming case against Mr. Campbell," he said.

The Crown withdrew several charges against the men earlier this year, including one against Campbell for attempted murder of a man who was shot at while standing on his apartment balcony during the shooting. Court records show the man who was shot did not testify at the preliminary hearing. No victim impact statements were submitted for sentencing last week.

Smallwood gave both men 900 days of credit off of their sentences for the time they've already spent in custody since the incident. They must submit to a DNA order, pay a victim of crime surcharge of $200 for each of their offences and face a 10-year firearms prohibition starting after their sentences are complete.

Campbell is also ordered to compensate RCMP with $8,000 for damage caused to one of their vehicles during the high-speed chase.

His father, who was seen dressed in a black suit and dress shoes for his son's court appearance Thursday, did not show up for the sentencing on Friday morning. Paul's mother Kimberley was present.

She gave her son's lawyer, Bran, a hug following the decision.

"I believe that the truth has come out," she told Yellowknifer following the proceeding, adding she has been to every one of her son's court dates.

"I'm just happy that my son can move on from this and start his life and put this behind him."

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