STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

CAVENDISH, P.E.I. — A day of playing and filming videos at a playground turned into a police operation for a group of visitors in Cavendish.

On July 13, RCMP arrested a 64-year-old man after he allegedly shot at a drone flying near his property.

According to a witness who was present when the incident happened, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, the drone at the time was being used to make a video for social media and was flying over the play area of a Cavendish rental cottage lot.

“There were a lot of kids in the play area. Two little girls, they were making a TikTok video, and their father had a small drone he was hovering above them, and they were just dancing,” the witness said. “The dad was bringing it up and bringing it down, I guess he was trying to get different shots of the kids. It was a small drone, not a big one. The playground was full of kids, but that’s when this guy decides he’s going to fire a (gun) into the playground.”

Read more P.E.I. man arrested after allegedly trying to shoot drone flying in Cavendish How drone photography hobby became PEI man's 'escape from reality' after devastating stroke

P.E.I. man arrested after allegedly trying to shoot drone flying in Cavendish

How drone photography hobby became PEI man's 'escape from reality' after devastating stroke

The witness said there were around 11 kids in the playground as well as multiple adults. Initially, no one realized what was happening, they said.

“We thought it was a firecracker on the first shot, but then there were two more. Eventually, everyone started talking and pointing toward his house and then I was like OK, I know what happened."

According to the witness, the suspect's house sits behind the cottage lot. They said while they didn’t see the suspect fire a gun, another guest could see the suspect shooting at the drone hovering over the playground.

The witness said a call was placed to the RCMP shortly after the guests realized what was happening. However, they said police didn’t arrive until almost an hour later.

“I get that it's slower here because you need to rally the troops and get things ready, but that call took over an hour when I said somebody is shooting at a drone over a playground full of kids,” they said. “We were in Cavendish, and they came from Charlottetown, it is kind of rural, so I understand the time frame. Where I’m from, though, for a gun complaint, they would have been there in minutes.”

When police arrived, officers in tactical gear surrounded the suspect's home, who eventually exited and co-operated with police, said the witness.

Man arrested in connection with firearm offences, https://t.co/b4puYUwKIs #Cavendish

Sgt. Craig Eveleigh with the Queens District RCMP confirmed police received the call around 8 p.m. on July 13. However, he could not say when police arrived.

Eveleigh said the suspect was arrested without incident and was later released with a court date scheduled for Sept. 26.

After the arrest, a search was conducted of the suspect’s home, which saw the seizure of the gun used and other weapons found on the property, but Eveleigh could not say how many, specifically.

Currently, police are investigating four charges against the man, including careless use of a firearm, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, discharging a firearm recklessly and contravention of the use and storage of a firearm, Eveleigh said.

However, the witness said there should be more charges against the man, as the property the incident took place at is within the Prince Edward Island National Park zone.

“We’re in the national park. You don’t shoot a gun in the national park, period. That’s a federal offence,” they said.

Due to the national park zone’s border, which runs through the two properties, determining whether the incident took place in the zone is a bit difficult, said Eveleigh.

“It gets a bit convoluted there because I think the actual person who fired the gun was living inside the zone, but the cottage the drone was flying over was actually outside the zone of the national park. It was very close to the parks area,” he said.

Eveleigh also said RCMP would not be looking to add charges or fines for using a firearm within a national park.

For the witness, the incident has left them feeling uneasy and worried about possible future incidents.

They said the situation also isn’t being taken as seriously as it should be by police, noting a July 15 release from the RCMP on the situation warned people about following the Transport Canada rules when flying drones but included no warnings about proper gun use.

“It just felt insensitive,” they said. “With everything going on in the States, maybe this should shine a light on the idea that this can happen here, too, where someone can shoot into a playground.”

Cody McEachern is a business reporter with the SaltWire Network in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @CodyInHiFi.

Ensure local journalism stays in your community by purchasing a membership today.

The news and opinions you’ll love for only $14.99/month.

Start your Membership Now

Your home for the news shaping Canada's East Coast