A day of shooting pigeons and drinking escalated into a standoff with police in rural Langley on Tuesday evening.
The incident began while three family members were shooting the birds with a pellet gun, while drinking, on a property in the 21900 block of 64th Avenue.
One man, a 40-year-old, and his 12-year-old son wandered away on the property and the young boy was injured after being shot in the hip with a pellet.
The boy’s mother became upset, and when she confronted her husband, he allegedly assaulted her, said Langley RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Holly Marks.
The standoff with police began when the 40-year-old went into the house and the family left the property and called the Mounties, just before 8 p.m.
Although the pellet gun had been left outside, the police were told there might be more guns inside the building.
Out of an abundance of caution, Langley RCMP contained the home and evacuated several nearby homes. The Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team was called in.
A negotiator with the ERT made contact with the man and established a rapport with him. He left the home just after 10 p.m. and was taken into custody without further incident.
Langley RCMP’s Investigational Support Team is looking into the circumstances around the pellet gun being fired and the injury to the boy.
Client Support and Victim Services will be following up with other family members.
The man arrested Tuesday remained in RCMP cells until Wednesday morning.
B.C. Crown Counsel will determine what charges, if any, should be laid in the incident, said Marks.