One of two men accused of shooting and killing two horses in the Lafond area last September has plead guilty to one count of willfully killing cattle and has been sentenced to two years of probation, a two year weapons prohibition, and will pay just over $10,000 in restitution to the family.
The mother whose two daughters were riding the horses at the time of the incident said the shooting was one that had taken a “huge emotional toll” on her daughters’ lives, and their family’s life.
“This has been a huge ordeal for our family and it’s affected every aspect of our family,” she said, adding the shooting will now be a part of her children’s lives forever. “I don’t think they’ll get over it. It’s not something you’d ever expect to happen to your children, or anybody, for that matter.”
According to an agreed statement of facts, the girls were walking their horses that evening through a gate and into a field near their home which they knew was on farmland, which was the property of the adjacent landowner, Michael Leroux.
With the sun setting at 7:27 p.m. that evening, it was not dark, but dusk as the girls rode their horses in the field. There were two other stray horses in the field where the sisters were riding, and the girls were trying to get a look at them.
Leroux had learned earlier that evening the stray horses were in his field, according to the statement, which said that in the past, he had suffered damage to his crops caused by the horses.
Leroux went to the field to check his crop of canola, which had been cut and was lying in swaths on the ground, and to see if the stray horses were around. He was armed with a hunting rifle without a scope, and had the intention to shoot one of the stray horses, stated the facts.
Neighbouring farmer Terrence McGonigal drove him to the field, with the truck stopping by the unpaved roadway closest to Leroux’s fence line, which was estimated at between 20 and 90 metres from where the girls were riding their horses.
“Michael Leroux fired a shot from his rifle. The girls immediately yelled for the shooter to stop. Their shouts were not heard by Michael Leroux,” according to the statement. “After the first shot, the sisters both leapt from their respective horses and hid from view on the ground between the swaths of canola. Both horses ran away from the location where the girls were hiding.”
One girl could see her horse had been shot in the left lower flank, with Leroux firing two or three more shots over the next 30 to 60 seconds.
“The girls were not on the horses and hidden from view when these shots were fired. The sisters believed that they were being shot at and were terrified.”
The statement of facts notes that Leroux did not see either of the girls on the horses, with McGonigal later providing a statement to police stating in part that, “I never saw any girls out there, thank God they didn’t get hurt.”
The girls called their parents from their hiding place, said their mother.
“They were in a complete panic. We jumped in the truck and we were there within minutes . . . They were running towards us, saying, ‘Our horses have been shot, our horses have been shot!”
“We just couldn’t believe it; it took a minute for us to process.”
The family quickly realized their horse that had been injured in the abdomen was mortally wounded, while the second horse shot in the rear leg also had to be euthanized. Adding to the shock of hearing their daughters were shot at, the loss of “our beloved animals” was another huge loss for the family, she said, adding, “They have been a massive, major, major part of our lives, and especially my girls’ lives.”
After pleading guilty to the charge of willfully killing cattle, Leroux was ordered to pay restitution to the family for the value of the horses, at $10,069.33. Four other counts were withdrawn, including unlawfully carrying a firearm in a careless manner, carrying a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public peace, and possessing a firearm without being the holder of a license.
The mother said the court process has been long and tiring, explaining, “You can’t begin to have any closure – it’s always hanging over your head.”
While co-accused Terrance McGonigle is still facing a preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to begin on June 29, she said she was glad at least one of the court cases has come to an end.
“We’re appreciative that he pled guilty and he acknowledged. We feel there’s closure on that,” she said, adding their family’s closeness, as well as their extended family and community support has helped.
“We’re a very close family, and we’ve had lots of support from community. And that has really helped. We’re not from around here, and just to have a community express that concern for us has been wonderful.”
