Date: October 19, 2026
By Joseph Wilson | Dalena Reporters
A 68-year-old Newfoundland man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting a snowmobiler in the head on the province’s west coast, an attack that left the victim with a serious brain injury and permanent loss of function on the left side of his body.
Justice Trina Simms imposed the sentence Monday on Harold Wayne Hynes of Port au Port West for the February 21, 2025, shooting of Chad Hickey. Hynes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and careless use of a firearm. The sentence brings an end to a case that began with an apparently unexplained shooting on Gravels Pond and initially resulted in an attempted-murder charge.
Hickey was riding a snowmobile across Gravels Pond on Newfoundland’s west coast when he was shot. According to the latest reporting, Hynes fired a shotgun from a window of his home as Hickey crossed the pond.
The shooting caused devastating injuries. Hickey suffered a brain injury and permanent loss of function on the left side of his body. He spent 33 days in hospital and subsequently underwent approximately six weeks of rehabilitation as he worked to recover from the effects of the shooting.
The attack also had a profound effect on Hickey’s family. During his recovery, his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, meaning that an important moment in their family life unfolded while Hickey was still dealing with the consequences of the shooting.
The case initially proceeded as a much more serious prosecution. Hynes was arrested in March 2025 and charged with attempted murder with a firearm. Prosecutors subsequently laid additional firearm-related charges, including using a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence, careless use of a firearm, pointing a firearm, unlawfully discharging a firearm with intent, assault with a weapon or imitation and aggravated assault.
Hynes remained in custody during the proceedings. Earlier court appearances focused on whether he could be released on bail and under what conditions. In April 2025, a judge expressed concerns about an initial release plan because Hynes would have continued living alone. The judge indicated that release could potentially be considered if he lived with one or more family members acting as sureties.
By July 2026, Hynes was still in custody and was scheduled to appear in Corner Brook Supreme Court. At that stage, the attempted-murder charge and several firearm-related charges remained before the court, and Hynes had pleaded not guilty.
The eventual guilty pleas to aggravated assault and careless use of a firearm significantly changed the legal outcome of the case. Rather than proceeding to a trial on the original attempted-murder allegation, the case concluded with Hynes admitting criminal responsibility for the offences to which he pleaded guilty.
The shooting shocked the local community because Hickey had been travelling on a snowmobile when he was struck by gunfire. Initial reports indicated that his injuries were not consistent with an ordinary snowmobile accident, prompting investigators to examine how he had been wounded.
Police subsequently investigated the incident through the Major Crime Unit West. The investigation ultimately led authorities to Hynes and to the criminal charges that followed.
The circumstances also illustrate the seriousness with which Canadian courts treat the unsafe use of firearms. The sentence covers both the aggravated assault resulting from the shooting and Hynes’s guilty plea to careless use of a firearm.
Firearm-related incidents in rural communities can have consequences that extend well beyond the immediate victim. Families can face lengthy periods of hospitalization and rehabilitation, while victims may experience permanent disabilities that affect employment, mobility and everyday life.
For Hickey, the effects of the shooting have continued long after the initial emergency treatment. His brain injury and permanent loss of function mean that the consequences of the February 2025 attack will remain part of his life even after Hynes completes his prison sentence.
The case also demonstrates how an incident that initially appears to be an accident can develop into a major criminal investigation when evidence points to an intentional or unlawful act. Hickey had been snowmobiling when he was shot, but investigators determined that his injuries were inconsistent with a simple fall from the machine, leading to a deeper examination of what happened on Gravels Pond.
The original attempted-murder charge reflected the seriousness with which prosecutors viewed the shooting. Although that charge ultimately did not result in a trial conviction, Hynes’s guilty pleas to aggravated assault and careless use of a firearm establish his criminal responsibility for the conduct covered by those offences.
The seven-year sentence handed down by Justice Simms now provides a measure of legal finality in the case. For Hickey and his family, however, the consequences of the shooting extend far beyond the courtroom.
The case remains a reminder of the potentially life-changing consequences of firearm misuse and the lasting impact violent incidents can have on victims, families and rural communities.
As Hynes begins his seven-year prison sentence, Chad Hickey continues to live with the physical consequences of the shooting that occurred nearly two years ago while he was travelling across Gravels Pond on a snowmobile.