(BRENDAN KERGIN/FILE PHOTO / iNFOnews.ca)

Two days before a gunman walked into the Williams Lake rodeo and shot at the crowd, a drunk police officer with PTSD and a restricted handgun made a veiled threat against two other revellers.

The incidents were not connected.

The gunman injured two people and was sentenced in October 2023 to nine years in prison. The next month, the officer was given a form of probation, according to a decision published Dec. 30.

In the early morning hours of July 1, 2022, two people were leaving the stampede grounds when a silver Ford pickup approached them, stopping within inches of them. The driver, off-duty RCMP officer Olavo Castro, rolled down his window.

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"Do we have a problem here?" he asked the pair. He had moved a silver and black handgun from the centre console to his lap before rolling down the window.

The two people spotted the Smith and Wesson and the situation was "diffused" after a conversation and a handshake, according to the decision.

They parted ways, but the two told police at the rodeo about the encounter. Castro was detained around 2 a.m. and issued a roadside driving prohibition.

According to the provincial court decision, Castro cried upon his arrest, telling the on-duty officer he was struggling with PTSD. Castro was taken to hospital under the Mental Health Act and escorted home by a police officer.

Police later searched his truck and found the handgun, which is a restricted firearm and not Castro's RCMP service pistol. He was arrested that night.

Castro told officers of his struggles with PTSD and said he "hit rock bottom." He started drinking around 5 p.m., June 31, before he drove off to the stampede five hours later. He recalled talking with the two people, whom Castro described as "rowdy," according to the decision.

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Although he moved the gun to his lap, Castro said he had it in the truck because he planned to take relatives to the range the next day. He couldn't justify why he had it with him at the time and "felt ashamed," according to the decision.

Judge Raymond Phillips added there was "no indication" Castro planned on using the gun when he spoke with the two people at the stampede.

Castro, now 42, has been a police officer since 2018 and his mental health issues stemmed from an incident where Castro was covered in a shooting victim's blood. He was removed from duty in December 2021 because of the trauma, but found it difficult to get mental health treatment through the RCMP, according to the decision.

"This is unfortunate as it seemed preventable, had the RCMP listened to Castro and put him on a meaningful path to recovery," Phillips said.

The judge noted that a conditional discharge, which would leave Castro without a criminal record, would be in his best interest, but Phillips said it wasn't in the public's interest.

"The challenge in this case is that the offense involves possession of a prohibited weapon at a very public event and a police officer struggling with mental health issues derived in the course of his duties as a police officer," he said.

Phillips gave him a suspended sentence of 12 months with several probation orders. Among those orders, he will have to serve 20 hours of community service work, according to the decision. Phillips chose not to add a firearms prohibition because it would essentially end his policing career.

However, Castro is also facing disciplinary proceedings with the RCMP, which would result in his dismissal. Phillips said that hearing was set for the fall. It's not clear whether the internal code of conduct board made a decision.

Just two days after Castro was caught with a handgun at the stampede, Jordell Anthony Sellars showed up in a targeted shooting.

Two people were injured, including one bystander. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for reckless discharge of a firearm.

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