A 37-year-old man has been acquitted of attempted murder charges after shooting Transit Police officer Cst. Josh Harms last year in Surrey.
Daon Glasgow – who was later discovered to have been on the run from a halfway house – was located by officers inside Scott Road Station on Jan. 30, 2019.
“As the officer approached him, Glasgow took a handgun from his waistband, shot the officer twice, and fled the station,” court documents attest.Harms was left with bullet wounds to his arm and hand but has since returned to work.
Glasgow was arrested five days later, charged with attempted murder.
Thank you to @SurreyRCMP for all of your tireless work. Thank you to the public and to our fellow first responders for all of your assistance and support during these difficult days. Thanks to you, Daon Glasgow is now in custody. https://t.co/BlrqND32XQ
— Metro Vancouver Transit Police (@TransitPolice) February 3, 2019
Charges he was found guilty of include the discharge of a firearm with intent to endanger the officer’s life, firing the gun recklessly in regard to the safety of others, and unlawful possession of the restricted firearm.
Glasgow owned up to all but one of the charges – attempting to murder the officer.
The accused said he "panicked" when he saw the officers and “fired the shots without thinking of anything other than escaping.”
On Friday, presiding judge Peder Gulbransen handed down his ruling.
"The only reasonable inference to be drawn from the circumstances is that Glasgow did intend to kill the officer," the judge wrote.
“He had an opportunity to kill him if that was his intention, but he did not use that opportunity,” it read. "This evidence tends to support the conclusion that Glasgow’s actions were focused on making an escape.”
Transit Police have since vocalized opposition to the judge’s ruling.
“It’s hard to imagine how someone can point a gun at any person, fire the gun hitting the officer twice, and not be found guilty of attempted murder,” Sgt. Clint Hampton tweeted Monday.
Man who shot @TransitPolice, Cst. Harms, convicted of Aggravated Assault. While we are waiting to review the judge’s decision, It's hard to imagine how someone can point a gun at any person, fire the gun hitting the officer twice, and not be found guilty of attempted murder.
— Sgt. Clint Hampton (@SgtCHampton) October 19, 2020
