A Vancouver Provincial Court judge has banned a man from owning weapons for five years after he accidentally fired a gun through a wall into a neighbour's suite — for the second time.
“This is the second time Henry Cheung has discharged a firearm into unit 304 through this same wall, the first occurrence being in May 2018,” says a 2023 lawsuit filed by neighbours Katherine and David Lazaruk.
On June 6, Judge Andrea Brownstone banned Cheung, 67, from weapons ownership after he was charged with careless use of a firearm July 23, 2023.
Crown prosecutor Ariel Bultz told Brownstone that the gun Leung was handling in his suite on Vancouver’s McGeer Street accidentally went off. The shot went through a wall into the neighbours’ suite.
“It caused quite significant damage,” Bultz said.
No one was injured but Cheung has already paid $9,979 in restitution for the damage and for the neighbour’s counselling needs.
After Brownstone granted the weapons ban, Crown prosecutors stayed the charge for the careless use of a firearm.
Civil suit sought $23,598 in damages
Katherine and David Lazaruk filed a lawsuit in a small claims court Oct. 23, 2023, seeking $23,598 in damages.
The claim said the gunshot tore through there home at 11:15 p.m. in the July 2023 — the bullet leaving “a trail of damage” to walls, a cabinet and drapes.
The Lazaruks claimed Cheung and wife Yvonne Kwok referred them to their insurance company. The neighbours said insurance did not fully cover the damages or the nuisance caused by the shooting.
No details were immediately available from a May 13 notice of settlement conference.
