Stray bullet enters family car after illegal shooting in Mission backcountry

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“The bullet was still hot, moving and buzzing in place,” wrote Rachel McGill, the mother involved in the incident. “My son instinctively reached for it but immediately pulled his hand back because it was too hot to touch. It came within an inch of hitting his leg. An inch.”

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The family did not see who fired the shot.

“Both our understanding and the officer’s assessment is that someone fired a gun into the air, without any regard for where that bullet would come down and it came down on us, on our child,” she continued. “As a parent, it is terrifying to realize how close we came to losing our son over something so reckless and preventable.”

(Image Credit: Rachel McGill)

No suspects have been identified at this time, but Mission RCMP says similar reports have been filed over the past year.

“The problem doesn’t seem to be with locals,” said Mission RCMP.

“The offenders were nearly always a group of males from elsewhere in the Lower Mainland – usually Surrey – who often come in passenger cars that cannot get to more isolated wilderness areas where discharging firearms may be safe and lawful.”

Mounties state that a valid firearms license does not grant permission to fire in areas that are closed to shooting.

The Fraser Valley Regional District’s No Shooting Areas Map says areas within 400 metres of FSRs, including most of the car-accessible areas in the Mission backcountry, are closed to shooting.

Penalties can range from a fine under the Wildlife Act and seizure of firearms and a person’s gun license, to criminal charges.

RCMP and the BC Conservation Officer Service will be ramping up patrols in the backcountry as spring weather approaches.

“If you see someone shooting anywhere within the vicinity of an FSR, move to a safe distance, then call 911. You just might help to prevent a stray bullet from finding its way into another family’s vehicle.”

Note: The story has been edited to add more information from the family.