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‘Stupid, drunken, cocaine-fueled mistake’: Onslow car-shooter recounts night that will cost him four years in jail
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TRURO, N.S. — One of two men accused of shooting at a car in Onslow, Colchester County, last spring has been sentenced to more than four years in jail on firearms charges.
Jeffrey Elmer Moxsom, 39, was brought into Truro provincial court on Thursday to face a slew of firearms charges from the incident.
RCMP officers responded March 3, 2022, to reports Moxsom, along with Gregory Allen Barr, intoxicated and on illicit drugs, used a rifle to fire 10 shots at a Toyota Hilux at about 12:30 a.m. near Highway 2 in Onslow.
The owner of the vehicle, Richard Roode, thought at first his car had been hit with paintballs. When he arrived at work at about 1:20 a.m., he saw there was a bullet hole in the back of his car.
Moxsom, who fired the gun, had a lifetime firearms prohibition from a previous conviction.
Dunlevy’s report
RCMP critical incident commander Staff Sgt. Kevin Dunlevy, who read his report to the court, said an emergency response team, a crisis negotiation team, police dog services, and air support from the RCMP were all called in. Further air support from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables was on standby.
Also on alert was the RCMP Special Activities Group (SAG) – a specialized group that is “brought into high risk or imminent threat situations to help the local RCMP detachments and ERT resource locate suspects using specialized techniques,” Dunlevy said.
Colchester residents received an emergency alert at about 9 a.m. on March 3, warning them of Barr’s use of firearms and that he was seen driving a grey Honda Civic.
Moxsom would later be identified as the passenger of the vehicle, as well as the shooter. He was arrested at about 12:05 p.m. at his Lower Onslow home. He told police the rifle had been stashed in a bedroom closet. Three firearms and one box of ammunition were found and seized. Police noted his children were home at the time of the arrest.
The gun used in the incident, a Ruger .22, was found loaded with a magazine inserted. The trigger safety was off.
Moxsom also informed police the shooting was completely random. It was later revealed in court that Roode was the brother of Kristen Beaton, one of those who died in the Portapique mass shooting in April 2020.
Co-operation and responsibility
Moxsom pleaded guilty to charges of careless firearm storage, possession of a firearm without a licence, and possession of a firearm while under a prohibition order.
A joint recommendation of a three- to five-year sentence was agreed upon by his lawyer Mark Bailey and Crown attorney Thomas Kayter.
“Mr. Moxsom was co-operative with the investigation,” said Kayter. “Mr. Moxsom’s guilty plea is a true representation of a statement of remorse.”
Bailey said Moxsom also helped them find Barr, who has not yet faced trial.
“Without his co-operation, this investigation would not have been so simple,” said Bailey. “It’s notable that there was a snowstorm during these events, and the investigation would have been very difficult.”
He added later that Moxsom had no intention to prompt such a large-scale police response and “feels the utmost remorse.”
Moxsom, given a chance to speak during the proceedings, referred to the incident as a “stupid, drunken, cocaine-fueled mistake” and that he did not want to be separated from his wife and two children.
Judge Alan Begin referred to Moxsom’s record and said the police response was necessary.
“Portapique or no Portapique, the traumatic effect (inflicted) by a random shooter … police have no idea who is doing it or why he’s doing it, (and it) necessitated the response that it brought out.
“We have no idea what was going to happen. None whatsoever. It’s shots fired, and now there are people on the run. The response by the police was expected and appropriate – certainly not over the top.”
Begin called Moxsom’s behaviour “grotesquely troubling,” and that it was lucky that he didn’t kill Roode.
Moxsom was sentenced to four and a half years in jail, with a remand credit of five and a half months already served.
