The Sûreté du Québec police officer was injured in the hand and shoulder during this event. She had just stopped Rodrigue for driving at high speed.
She was busy registering her license plate in the system when the former soldier fired a long gun in her direction, twice.
After just one day of deliberations, the jury rendered its decision late Thursday afternoon. The trial lasted nearly four weeks at the Saint-Georges de Beauce courthouse. Rodrigue is also guilty of possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose.
Judge Louis Dionne will now have to hear the parties’ suggestions regarding the sentence to be imposed on the accused. Rodrigue has been incarcerated since his arrest more than three years ago.
Marco Rodrigue faces life imprisonment. The minimum sentence is four years for attempted murder with a firearm.
Intent to kill
The jurors did not accept the defense’s version, which wanted to create doubt about the identity of Rodrigue during this summer day, on the side of Highway 73.
They also did not believe the idea that Rodrigue simply wanted to “send a message” or make “a warning” by shooting twice at the SQ patrol car.
The jury instead believed the prosecution’s well-crafted version. Marco Rodrigue, this 57-year-old former soldier, had a hatred towards the government, he did not want to have his vehicle or his weapons loaded in his vehicle seized. The man had clearly stated during interrogation that he was “tired” of being robbed by the government.
To avoid arrest, he fired two shots at Officer Giroux, before she even got out of her vehicle. The jurors determined that he fired with the intent to kill, as argued by the Crown represented by Me Annick Harbour.
Swiss
