Man charged with attempted murder in shooting of teacher
A man accused of shooting a Riverview High School teacher has been charged with attempted murder, along with more than 30 other crimes.
Janson Bryan Baker was charged with attempting to murder Christopher Leger by discharging a firearm with the intent to kill on Jan. 5, according to a charges sheet filed by the RCMP in Moncton provincial court Wednesday.
Leger was leaving Riverview High School that evening when Baker allegedly approached him and demanded that he hand over the bag he was carrying, said the RCMP, shortly after the incident occurred.
Baker then allegedly pulled out a gun and fired it, the RCMP said.
In a letter the school issued publicly the following day, it said the teacher suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday, Anglophone School District East, which Riverview High School is part of, issued a statement on behalf of Leger.
"The night of January 5 was shocking, bringing to life what I've only seen on the news or read in fiction," Leger said, in the statement.
"Since that night, however, my family has experienced overwhelming care and support from family, friends, colleagues, and the community."
Baker was also charged with allegedly using a sawed-off 12 gauge shotgun — a prohibited weapon — in attempting to rob Leger of a gym bag, and allegedly using the same weapon to attempt to rob Joshua Hebb that same day.
Other charges from that incident include intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless as to life, aggravated assault, storing a prohibited weapon, two charges of pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm for the purpose of committing an offence, possession of a firearm for which he did not have a registration certificate, along with a handful of other firearm related charges.
RCMP also charged Baker for other crimes he allegedly committed in a separate instance on that same day, including break and enter at a motel room on Homestead Road in Steeves Mountain, as well as allegedly stealing money from Gregory Lee Lewis while armed with a knife, and wounding the same person with a knife.
...at the time of those incidents, we were actively investigating and working to determine the person... - RCMP Const. Hans Ouellette
Other charges laid include those for crimes Baker allegedly committed in December, including possession of a prohibited weapon while being prohibited from doing so, assault, driving a motor vehicle while his privileges were suspended, stealing gasoline from a gas station in Pointe-du-Chêne, and stealing a car in Grand-Barachois.
He was also charged with stealing from a National Bank of Canada in Dieppe while using threats of violence to do so on Nov. 21.
RCMP spokesperson Const. Hans Ouellette said the force laid a total of 32 charges against Baker on Wednesday.
"The incidents do date back to November 21 and... at the time of those incidents, we were actively investigating and working to determine the person or persons responsible for those incidents," he said.
Ouellette said Baker's next court appearance will be on March 10 at 11 a.m.
