Canadian accused of firearm crime

BIG RIVER, Saskatchewan, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A man claiming to be guarding traditional lands in northern Saskatchewan is accused of firing a shotgun at a boatload of fishermen, court documents show.

Victor Nanatakapo is charged with careless use of a firearm.

Nanatakapo, who lived on government-owned land, said he was firing cautionary shots to warn off the fishermen from entering areas belonging to First Nations tribes, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday.

"The type of firearm is irrelevant," The Crown prosecutor, Jennifer Claxton-Viczko said. "The fact that it was directed toward a group of people, and that was the reason for it being discharged, that's what makes it careless. That's not a proper use of it."

Claxton-Viczko was addressing speculation that Nanatakapo's use of a shotgun at far distance instead of a rifle showed he did not intend to hit anyone.

"I didn't believe anyone was actually shooting at us," one of the fishermen, Chad Musich, told the CBC. Then he heard, "Get the hell off my lake," documents show.

Gerald Morin, the judge on the case, will give his decision in January.