An elderly Vancouver man was recently sentenced to five years in prison Weapons ban Earlier, he accidentally fired through the wall into his neighbor's apartment for the second time.
On July 23, 2023, David Lazaruk and his wife, Katherine, were getting ready for bed after a busy day when they heard a loud bang.
“We heard a loud bang and it sounded like an echo from outside,” David said.
The couple went to the window of their apartment in east Vancouver but saw nothing.
When David returned to the living room, he found a message on his phone from his neighbor Henry Cheung, asking David to call him.
Lazaruk was shocked to learn that a bullet fired from Mr. Zhang's third-floor room had entered their suite on the same floor.
“Sure enough, there was another bullet hole in our apartment,” David said.
This wasn't the first time their neighbors had fired shots at the same wall.
“We're taking it a lot more seriously this time because obviously the last incident didn't change people's behavior,” Kathryn told Global News. “We felt it was important this time to really drive home the point that this is a very serious matter.”
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The couple called police and Henry Cheung, 67, was subsequently arrested and charged.
Vancouver police said the elderly man had been conducting “dry-fire” shooting practice.
“He was supposed to be using an unloaded gun, but he mistakenly put a bullet in the chamber,” said Sgt. Steve Addison.
Vancouver police were also called to Zhang's unit in May 2018.
“In that case, a gentleman was cleaning his gun and didn't realize it was loaded,” Addison said.
The Lazaruks said Zhang wrote them a check for $5,000 to cover some of the damage after the first fire and promised them it wouldn't happen again.
“He didn't even change his target, it was still the same wall, still the same corner,” David said. “This is not the behavior of someone who feels sorry.”
On Thursday, Provincial Court Judge Andrea Brownstone approved Zhang's application for a five-year firearms ban, and Crown prosecutors stayed a charge of negligent use of a firearm in the second incident.
“We don’t know what he’s going to be doing in five years, and we’ll still be here, and he might still be here,” Kathryn said.
The couple filed a civil lawsuit over the recent gun discharge, seeking $23,598.22 to cover the cost of repairs as well as attorney fees and emotional distress counseling.
According to the notice of claim filed on Oct. 23, 2023, “bullets caused damage to several walls, a cabinet and custom drapes.”
The claim states that Mr Zhang and his wife Yvonne Kwok took the matter to their insurance company, but the insurer did not fully cover the losses or compensate for any nuisance costs.
After the criminal charges were resolved, Crown prosecutor Ariel Bultz told the court that Zhang had paid the Lazaruks nearly $10,000 in restitution for damages caused and for counseling expenses.
The couple said the sense of security they once enjoyed in their home has been shattered.
“Every time I walked to that corner of the room, I thought about the possibility of getting shot through at any moment,” Kathryn told Global News. “It’s not a very good way to live.”
David added: “Now we can’t sit on the couch or sit at the dining room table without wondering if that third bullet is going to kill us.”
Zhang did not respond to a phone message from Global News but denied all allegations in a written response to the notice of claim.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
