More shots fired in Bay Bulls standoff

The man wanted in an unusual confrontation south of St. John's has again fired bullets at a police robot trying to communicate with him, RCMP said Wednesday.

Police have issued a warrant for Bay Bulls resident Leo Crockwell, 55, who barricaded himself inside a house in the small coastal community on Saturday after allegedly threatening relatives.

RCMP said Crockwell twice on Tuesday night fired at a robot that police were using to send communications.

Crockwell had fired bullets at the same robot on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Police have been on the scene since Saturday, but have declined to use force to apprehend Crockwell, who has since been charged in court with counts that include illegal use of a firearm, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

"What we've done with our strategies is dealt with an individual who's in a house, with firearms and shown a willingness to use them," Sgt. Boyd Merrill said Tuesday.

"We understand that there is confusion there and that's been [factored] into our strategy."

Crockwell has a history of mental illness, and in 1998 was involuntarily detained at the Waterford Hospital, the only psychiatric hospital in Newfoundland and Labrador, for 140 days.

Crockwell, who was committed after threatening a coworker at Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, was later released, even though he refused to be examined at the time.