Nunavut man gets 4 years for shooting at RCMP residence

A Nunavut man was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for shooting at two RCMP residences in Kimmirut in March.

David Lyta, 22, pleaded guilty in October to intentionally discharging a firearm into a place knowing people were inside.

On March 18 he fired shots from a .22 caliber rifle at the homes of two RCMP members and their families. One shot entereda bedroom where a three-year-old child was sleeping.

The families hid in the bathroom while waiting for the emergency response team to fly in from Iqaluit.

Justice Andy Mahar said the police and their families were terrorized by Lyta, who was drunk and suicidal.

The crown sought six to eight years in prison. The defence asked for four years.

Mahar sentenced Lyta to four years at a federal penitentiary. He was given credit for time spent in custody at the Baffin Correctional Centre since the shooting. He will spend just under three years in a southern institution.

Lyta was also given a lifetime firearms prohibition.