A rural Manitoba homeowner is facing charges after he allegedly shot at a group of thieves stealing from his property over the weekend, police say. According to RCMP, officers were called Saturday at 10:45 p.m. to a reported theft in progress in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Dufferin. Mounties allege four suspects attended a rural private property earlier in the day and returned during the evening in two vehicles later confirmed stolen from Watrous, Sask. RCMP said the property owner, a 66-year-old man, was alerted by a motion camera and went to the area, where he saw suspects transferring fuel from a portable container into one of the stolen vehicles. The owner, who had a gun, allegedly confronted the suspects and fired shots towards the vehicles. Three suspects remained at the scene until Mounties arrived and they were taken into custody with various items believed to be stolen from the property found in the back of the vehicle. The fourth suspect got away in the other vehicle, which was found abandoned in a canola field a few kilometres away. RCMP said the investigation is ongoing. Take ‘reasonable’ steps to protect yourself: police The property owner is facing two counts each of careless use of a firearm, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and discharging a firearm in a reckless manner. He was released on an undertaking. In a statement, RCMP said Canadians may take “reasonable” steps to protect themselves or their property, but “any force used must be reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances, including the nature of the threat.” They added property owners should prioritize their own safety during these incidents and call police rather than confront intruders themselves. “We recognize that having someone enter your property and steal belongings is a serious criminal offence that can have a lasting impact,” the statement reads. “However, intervening directly can create significant risks to all involved.” A 29-year-old man from the RM of Hanover has been charged with multiple offences, including possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, theft under $5,000, mischief under $5,000 and trespassing. A 47-year-old man from the RM of Emerson-Franklin has been charged with theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possessing break-in instruments, mischief and trespassing. A 41-year-old woman, also from the RM of Emerson-Franklin, is facing the same charges. The two men were taken into custody, while the woman was released on an undertaking. None of the charges against the four arrested have been proven in court. When asked about the incident Tuesday afternoon, Premier Wab Kinew said he sided with the RCMP’s stance. “I think I got to go with the law enforcement on this one,” Kinew told reporters at an unrelated media event. “We can’t have people being judge, jury and potentially executioner, allegedly. “Though I understand the frustration with crime, absolutely, I support law enforcement. Let’s not make their job more difficult by making the reaction more complicated.” Not all Manitoban politicians share that view. Josh Guenter, the PC MLA for Borderlands, has been advocating for clearer self-defence rights in Manitoba. He has introduced private member resolutions in the Manitoba Legislature on the matter and has pushed for stronger defence laws in Canada. “While I can’t speak to the specifics of this case, I was disappointed in the premier’s response today in which he effectively ignored the rights of victims,” Guenter said in an emailed statement to CTV News. “Manitobans have the right to defend themselves and their loved ones in their own homes. But the Kinew NDP have repeatedly opposed my resolution to affirm just that. Everyday Manitobans should not be expected to sit by as criminals threaten their livelihoods, their families, and their lives.” ‘He easily could have killed one of those people’ Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, said from an ethical point of view, the response was not proportionate to the threat. “Ethically speaking, if you are able to protect yourself and you are not in immediate danger, then you certainly don’t pursue justice on your own,” he said. “There’s a reason we have a legal system, and you know property theft is a serious criminal offence, but it’s not a capital crime. “He could have easily killed one of these people, and that is not a suitable punishment for stealing.” McArthur said he does understand the frustrations people in rural communities have with crime and a slower police response time but said the homeowner placed himself in danger. “This could have escalated very quickly,” he said. ”It could have been dangerous for him; it could have been dangerous for anyone around. So I think that this does not qualify as a proportional response.” With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson
