ALLEGED INTENT TO MURDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3098, 30 July 1913, Page 54

ALLEGED INTENT TO MURDER.

SHOOTING AFFRAY AT LYTTELTON. CHRISTCHURCH, July 27. Acting-detective M, Carney, who was .shot under the left arm at Lyttelton yesterday afternoon, passed a fairly good night in the Christchurch Hospital. The bullet was located by an X-ray examination, but the patient was not operated on to-day. It is probable that an operation for the removal of the bullet will be performed to-morrow. In the meantime the patient’s condition is quite satisfactory and no serious results are anticipated. The assailant, Wilfred Edmond Harper, has been charged with discharging a firearm with intent to murder. He has been remanded till August 1. The Christchurch Press states that the name of ihe man who shot Acting Detective Carnov is A ilford Edward Harper, and ho is 27 years of age. Harper' was living in a small detached single room ciose to his father’s house, and when Acting Detective Carney called he was informed that the young man was in this room. A knock at Tie door, and a call from Acting Detective Carney met with no response, and on trying the door the officer found that it was locked. He then reached up with his arm . to try to open a small window quite close to the door, but almost immediately there was a sharp report and a Hash from a firearm inside, and Carney, feeling a sudden twinge of pain in his loft side, realised at once that he had been shot at. Ho took matters very coolly. Very few of the neighbours realised that anything' serious had happened, though many of them wore startled by the report of the firearm, and a crowd of women and children ruslicd into die street. Acting Detective Carney walked down the hill to the surgery of Dr Newell, in Oxford street, where his injury was attended to. The doctors found a small perforated wound in die mu-ele.s on the left side of the breast, e'ose to the shoulder, hut. as it was not possible to make a closer examination at tile tune, the wound was dressed, and Acting Detective Carney walked to the police station and reported the shooting affair to Senior Sergeant Ryan. Constables Cowan and Thomas were at once sent up the hill to Harper's house, but found the door barricaded. Finding that Carney was not in serious danger, Sergeant Hum, with Constables F. Doak and Hart, followed the other constables to the house. Sergeant Ryan called on Harper to come out, and hammered on the door, but got no response. A spado was then procured, and u.-ed to burst the door open. The door Hew open, and the police, rushing in. found Harper sitting on his bed in the little room, with a loaded rifle between his knees, but he quietly submitted to arrest. Sergeant Ryan took charge of the rifle, which was a heavy American weapon of .22 calibre. It was loaded when the police took it, and there were 37 cartridges lying loose on a chair ( lose to where Harper was sitting. Sergeant Ryan left to return to the police station, and. shortly afterwards. Harper made a bolt from the constables who were taking him to the lock-up, and jumped i down a bank, but was secured before no i had gone far. Ho stated to the police that he had no intention of shooting Acting Detective | Carney. Harper had been down to the

wharves during the morning, and had fallen into the harbour from No. 6 jetty. When tire police forced an entrance to Harper’s room he was clad in a shirt only, his wet clothes lying on the floor, and there were indications that lie had been drinking.

An examination with X-rays located the bullet, which, after piercing the heavy muscles on the left side of the chest, close to the shoulder, had gone in a straight line for about Sin. Detective Carney certainly had a very close call, as. with a difference of two or three inches to the right in the flight of the bullet his heart would have been pierced.